Shadow of Steel
by Sprocket
Summary: 'Sole Survivor' Nora Taylor, Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, is working to prove she's the capable soldier that her sponsor, Paladin Danse, believes her to be. With the Brotherhood's help, she may have to look to the past to prepare for the future...
1. Chapter 1 - Reveille

BEGINNING NOTE:  
This is my first ever fanfic, let alone 'Fallout 4' fanfic. ...Very nervous about it, lol. I might not be ANY good at it, and my writing may not be great, and God help me if I don't do some of my favorite characters justice.

For now, any story tags may change in the future... I will keep things as correct and up-to-date as I can. Also, the name of this fic comes from 'Shadow of Steel', the quest that is started at the Cambridge Police Station (in which you're to report to Paladin Danse once you're ready to board the Prydwen for the 1st time). Since the fic starts shortly after this, I thought it would be appropriate. :) I DO (initially) use a lot of the same dialogue from the game, but after a time things will shift and you'll start to see the fic take an AU-ish turn.  
I really hope people like it!

Ad Victoriam!

PS - If anyone is following this story on AO3, I also have this fic there with me under the name 'Kat123'.

* * *

 _"She shows a lot of promise... and with the proper guidance, I think she has the potential of becoming one of the best."_

 _"So you decided to stay, huh? I expected you to take your payment and run. ... Got enough trouble stomping muties & ferals... I don't need something else to worry about."_

 _"I only ask for two things from anyone under my command: honesty and respect. ... I'm going to recommend you be awarded the rank of Knight. Now nothing's official until you speak to Elder Maxson, but I wanted you to be the first to know."_

 _"Ad victoriam, Knight." "She doesn't even know what that means, Haylen."_

 _"I've never seen anything so impressive." "Takes your breath away, doesn't it? ... If she's here, Elder Maxson's here. And that means we're going to war."_

 _"The Commonwealth looks different from up here, doesn't it? ... I wish everyone believed in our cause... but they've been blinded by rumors and misinformation. ... All right, soldier... this is the moment when everything changes. I hope you're ready."_

 _"So, you're the one Paladin Danse has taken under his wing. Hmph. You don't look much like a solider to me. ... A soldier is supposed to be an efficient killing machine, not a relic from the past playing catch-up with the rest of the world. If Danse hadn't stepped in and vouched for you, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Accepting outsiders like yourself has proven disastrous in the past. ... I won't allow anyone to jeopardize our mission no matter how valuable they think they are."_

* * *

Nora Delaney - no... she supposed she was just Nora Taylor now - closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, playing the events from the long day over again in her head. She had made her decision and met up with Paladin Danse at the Cambridge Police Station, who seemed only too happy to accept her as an Initiate into the Brotherhood of Steel. Not only that, but he was going to recommend her to be promoted to the rank of Knight. She wasn't 100% sure of how many or what the Brotherhood's ranks even _were_ , but she had a feeling that Danse's recommendation was no small thing. Scribe Haylen seemed accepting and Knight Rhys... well.. he seemed somewhat cold and hesitant - as did Knight Captain Kells once she was aboard the Prydwen - but she couldn't really blame them. Nora certainly didn't think of _herself_ when she tried to picture a typical soldier in her mind, she pictured more _Nate_ as...

 _'No...'_ she thought as she shook her head slightly, as if that would shake the thought from her head, _'...I don't have time to think of that now. For now, I have to do_ _everything_ _possible to get Shaun back.'_ The Minutemen had good intentions in their hearts, but the Brotherhood had seemed like her best bet to try and find Shaun ASAP and destroy the Institute, so they couldn't hurt anyone else like they had they had hurt her. She tried to focus from the back of the room in the Prydwen as Elder Maxson started to address the other soldiers in front of her. They all stood stick straight, at full attention, in awe of the man in front of them.

"Brothers and Sisters... the road behind has been long & fraught with difficulty."

Nora couldn't help feeling a little in awe of Elder Maxson herself. His was a presence that seemed to command attention, as if it was so effortless to him. She used her talents as a pre-war lawyer to take in his every detail, trying to glean as much information from him as she could. Her eyes searched him over from head to toe.

His hands held behind his back, feet shoulder-width apart, he took a moment every so often during his speech to pace back and forth in front of the soldiers. He wore an interesting looking battle coat that none of the other soldiers seemed to possess, covering a tight black Brotherhood uniform that seemed to just be worn by the higher-ranking officers, while the lower-ranking officers usually seemed to wear orange (the ones not walking around in Power Armor, that is). His figure was broad and muscular, and he had a handsome face that she was sure had seen many battles and hardships. She took notice of the long scar on the right side of his face, wondering what kind of fight had caused such a wound. His eyes, a steel blue, seemed to pierce into the face of every person there. When they made contact with her green eyes, he stopped pacing and paused in his speech, as if noticing her for the first time.

She forced herself to hold his gaze and not look away (another important skill she had learned over the years), not wanting to seem uncertain or afraid - despite knowing that she probably lacked the skill the other Brotherhood members had. Paladin Danse seemed to believe in her enough, but the others... well... they seemed to just see her as the housewife/vault dweller in armor she was sure she appeared to be. Even _she_ wasn't sure she was entirely up to the challenge a soldier would have to face... but she had come _this_ far, and if she wanted to ever see Shaun again, she would do anything it took to fulfill her promise to Nate, to avenge him and get their son back.

The Elder paused for a moment (though it felt much longer to Nora) as his eyes met hers and - narrowing them slightly at her - moved them down her body and then back up again, as if trying to size her up the way she was to him.

She shifted her stance slightly in her form-fitting blue vault dweller jumpsuit, sure that she stood out from the other, less civilian-appearing soldiers there.

He blinked and looked away for a moment, then continued to speak, explaining that the Brotherhood would do whatever it took to eradicate the Institute, the Synths, and whatever technology they possessed that posed a threat to mankind.

"...In the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy... itself."

This was met with a rallying cry of _"Ad Victoriam!"_ between him and the other soldiers as they all saluted each other. Nora made a feeble attempt to do the same, still not used to _not_ using the traditional forehead salute she knew in her time. She had tried that when she first met Paladin Danse, and he had looked at her like she had three heads.

As the other soldiers filed out, she stood a little awkwardly at the back, wondering if she should follow them or move closer to speak with the Elder. When everyone exited the room and only Elder Maxson and herself were left, she slowly walked forward to stand in front of him.

He regarded her carefully for a moment, his eyes moving down and up again, and her face flushed slightly at the scrutiny.

 _' _Oh stop it, Nora... you're not a teenager, for God's sake...'_ _

She cleared her throat as she continued to maintain her eye contact and nodded respectfully at him. "Elder..."

He met her eyes again & paused before speaking. "...I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth."

Nora frowned slightly. Not that she didn't believe him, but it seemed a bit... contradictory after his speech about the Institute and 'eradication' of the threat to mankind. "It... seems more like you're preparing for war. ...Sir," she added at the last moment, not wanting to make a bad impression for both her _and_ Paladin Danse to the leader of the whole damn East Coast Brotherhood.

Elder Maxson's facial expression seemed to twitch the tiniest bit as he explained that the Brotherhood would need to start a war in order to _prevent_ one - only the _Brotherhood_ wouldn't nearly obliterate mankind doing so.

She nodded and paused in thought for a moment, wondering how she quite fit into these plans. "...What is it you want from me?"

He seemed to straighten his posture up a little more (something Nora wouldn't have thought possible) and continued.

"I want you to start taking responsibility for this planet. To start making a difference. And from what I've read in Paladin Danse's reports, you've already begun that journey. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation. With that, I'm granting you the rank of Knight."

Nora smiled slightly, feeling like this news would please Paladin Danse, then frowned again as she realized she really knew next to nothing about the Brotherhood of Steel's history, ranking system, or even how they typically operated. "...Knight?" she asked tentatively, and then without thinking tried to lighten the mood with a little humor. "...Not a Paladin, like Danse?" Her smile faded again as Elder Maxson slightly raised one eyebrow and stared at her a moment. She mentally kicked herself and hoped her cheek wouldn't reflect badly on Paladin Danse.

"...The Brotherhood maintains a strict hierarchy organized by rank," he finally stated. "Paladin is several ranks above Knight, and it took Danse many years to achieve that goal. With your continued loyalty to the Brotherhood, I'm certain you can attain the same. In any event... it's getting late. I recommend you finish becoming familiar with the Prydwen - I'm sure Paladin Danse can show you to the sleeping quarters. In the morning he can help you get you acquainted with my staff, and then you both are to report to the Flight Deck for your new orders. Welcome aboard the Prydwen, soldier. Make us proud."

He then gave her the Brotherhood chest salute again, which she imitated (poorly, she imagined, by the way _both_ of Elder Maxson's eyebrows raised slightly this time). "Ad Victoriam, Knight..." he trailed off, and it took Nora a moment to realize he was waiting for her to address herself.

"Oh!" she blinked and shook her head. "Del- ...umm... Taylor, sir. Nora Taylor," she quickly corrected.

He paused for a moment, searching her with steel blue eyes that seemed to bore into her, and she wondered if he had noticed her stumble on her words when he nodded. "...Knight Taylor. Sleep well, Knight."

She nodded back at him before she headed out of the room to find Paladin Danse, not noticing that he watched her every move as she left.

* * *

END NOTE:  
\- FUN FACT: I got Nora/Nate's last names from Courtenay Taylor (voice actress, F!SS) and Brian T. Delaney (M!SS). Thought it would be a nice little tribute. :-)

\- 'ScorpioSkies' = Thank you again for your review on AO3 & the PM! (And the 'power noodles', LOL) I hope people really enjoy reading my fic & reviews are _definitely_ appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reveille, Part 2

BEGINNING NOTE:  
Just as an FYI, the start of this chapter takes place before the start of the last chapter - going through Maxson's musings on the newest BoS recruit, and some of his thoughts during his address to Nora & the other soldiers. Enjoy!

* * *

Arthur Maxson exhaled in his seat as he tossed the stack of papers onto his desk. The Brotherhood of Steel had arrived in the Commonwealth via the Prydwen, and he had just finished reading the report on the newest Initiate taken on by Paladin Danse. The Brotherhood of Steel used to refuse to take in Wastelanders and other 'outsiders' - but their numbers could only replenish themselves _so_ fast, and with the number of attacks caused by super mutants, feral ghouls, raiders, gunners, and _now_ Institute synths, they would need every man and woman, every loyal Brother and Sister they could get.

Unfortunately, recruiting outsiders had also caused its _own_ share of problems for the Brotherhood - people who were merely seeking 'fame and glory', troublemakers looking for the best weaponry available just as an excuse to maim anything that moved, 'soldiers of fortune' looking for a quick cap for little effort in return, or delinquents that just wanted their own suit of Power Armor. Few of the recruits had embraced the _true_ values of the Brotherhood, and he'd had to strip them of their ranks and dismiss them back into the rabble they'd come from.

He'd had his concerns sending Danse and Recon Squad Gladius out to the Commonwealth... not that he didn't trust Danse - quite the opposite in fact, he was one of his most trusted and respected field officers (and - he'd only admit to himself - one of the very few people he considered a friend). It was just that the main recon team sent to the Commonwealth three years prior - Recon Squad Artemis - had never returned, and no one had heard from them since. He'd finally made his difficult decision after the mail he'd received from Lancer-Captain Kells on his terminal:

 _Fr: Lancer-Captain Kells KS-390LC  
To: Elder Maxson MX-001E_

 _As requested, I'm providing you with all of the current information we have on Recon Squad Artemis._

 _According to our records, we sent them into the Commonwealth approximately three years ago to perform a standard survey beginning with the Malden area. We received a few reports from the team and then abruptly lost contact. Nothing in their communications indicated anything unusual, so we assume they've either lost the ability to radio us or have been killed. The squad consisted of seven soldiers under the command of Paladin Brandis, so they certainly had plenty of firepower and the experience required to survive a deep recon mission._

 _I have several recon teams searching for Artemis's whereabouts, but so far, they've been unsuccessful._

He knew the risks of being a soldier - _all_ members of the Brotherhood did - but it didn't make sending Danse and his team out any easier. When the Brotherhood hadn't heard anything back from Recon Squad Gladius for months, he was worried they had shared the same fate as Paladin Brandis's team. He didn't want to be pessimistic - maybe they had a very good explanation for not sending any communication back to the Capital Wasteland. He was beginning to lose hope when one day the Brotherhood had _finally_ received some good news - Danse was indeed alive and well.

...Well... he was _alive_ , at any rate.

Unfortunately, not everyone in Recon Squad Gladius had survived. After arriving in the region, the team had been attacked by raiders who disabled Knight Keane's power armor and destroyed some of the squad's supplies. After setting up base in the Cambridge police station and a failed attack on the Corvega assembly plant, Danse had had been forced to retreat and things seemed to go downhill from there. Knight Brach had been killed from a landmine, and Knight Worwick had been mortally wounded and died two days later.

The squad had attempted to resupply by investigating Boston Airport and Fort Strong, but were surprised by super mutants and Knight-Sergeant Dawes was killed. Scribe Haylen had uncovered some unusual energy readings from The Institute, but - unable to fully repair the police station's antenna - they hadn't been able to contact the Prydwen for assistance. When the station came under assault by a large number of feral ghouls, Haylen had sent out a short-range distress call as the remaining squad members tried to hold the ghouls off - resulting in the death of Knight Keane.

...Months of extreme hardship, four dead soldiers, and one Paladin that Arthur knew was taking it very hard and blaming himself completely (even accepting all the blame in his reports to the elder). Arthur sighed again.

There was _one_ saving grace in the whole situation (besides the discovery of the Institute energy readings, that is) - when Haylen had sent out the distress call, it was picked up by the _unlikeliest_ of people: a female civilian. A vault dweller, to be exact. Oh, and her... 'pet', a dog that had also assisted with the ferals. To make matters _more_ interesting, Danse had discovered that not _only_ was the woman newly-emerged from Vault 111, but that she had been cryogenically frozen for _over 200 years_ prior to her escape. This woman was... _pre-war_. It was almost too much to believe. Arthur had to read and reread that part of Danse's report over again a few times to make sure he wasn't mistaken. If he hadn't known Danse so well, he'd swear someone was trying to pull one over on him.

The amount of information this woman could provide to the Brotherhood Scibes was almost overwhelming. And not only that, but Danse had said that she was invaluable to the successful retrieval of the deep-range transmitter from ArcJet Systems that had allowed the remaining squad to finally contact the Prydwen.

...A female vault dweller and her dog.

...It was certainly _not_ the rescue Arthur would have expected, but one that he was intrigued about all the same. This woman must be quite special to have made such an impression on Danse.

He stood from his desk and rubbed his eyes wearily. It had been a long day, but it was time to address his soldiers and meet this mysterious woman that seemed to come so highly recommended.

* * *

"Brothers and Sisters... the road behind has been long & fraught with difficulty."

Arthur had planned out what he'd wanted to say to these soldiers & rehearsed it in his mind several times before his address, wanting his thoughts to come out clearly & strongly. He stood in front of them all, pacing back and forth every so often as he took the time to search their faces individually. When his eyes met a pair of green eyes staring at him from the back of the room, he paused - both in his pacing and his speech.

The first thing he noticed about the woman they belonged to was the way she was staring at him intently. People usually made eye contact with him, then looked slightly elsewhere after a few moments, or looked at his face but not _directly_ at his eyes (not for long, anyways). This woman was looking _right_ at him unwaveringly, hardly even blinking. ...It wasn't something he was used to.

His own blue eyes narrowed slightly at her, and without realizing it he moved them down her figure and back up again, taking stock of this woman that had (albeit momentarily) thrown him for a bit of a loop. Based on her appearance (especially compared to the other soldiers in the room), he quickly realized that this must be the newest Initiate to the Brotherhood.

... _Her? ...THIS_ was the woman Paladin Danse was talking about? _THIS_ was the 'savior' of Recon Squad Gladius?

Arthur blinked and wondered if there was some sort of mistake, or... maybe even some kind of practical joke (if Paladin Danse was even _capable_ of such an act).

The woman seemed to sense Arthur's appraisal and shifted her stance slightly in her form-fitting blue vault dweller jumpsuit. She wasn't wearing much else, save for some makeup (wherever wastelanders even _found_ a novelty like that), some combat boots, a Brotherhood laser rifle strapped to her back (where had she gotten one of those already? From Danse, perhaps?), and a couple pieces of leather armor that looked like they would provide very little _real_ protection from the wasteland. She pushed a loose strand of her pinned-up honey-colored hair back behind an ear.

Arthur could barely believe it. This woman looked like she had stepped off of a pre-war recruitment poster (or maybe even some sort of magazine), rather than being someone that had aided - quite successfully - several well-trained soldiers against some vicious feral ghouls that had almost overwhelmed them all.

He blinked again and finally looked away, then started his pacing again as he continued to speak against the Institute, bothered that this woman had bothered to distract him for even a _moment_.

"...In the end, we will be saving humankind from its worst enemy... itself."

After the other soldiers saluted and left the room, she briefly stood at the back, looking a tiny bit uncomfortable, before slowly walking forward to stand in front of him.

He regarded her carefully for a moment, his eyes moving down and up again as he scrutinized her for a 2nd time. Maybe it was just the lighting in the room (it was getting late in the evening, after all)... but Arthur could have sworn her face reddened slightly as he gazed at her.

She cleared her throat as she continued to maintain her eye contact and nodded respectfully at him. "Elder..."

He met her eyes again & paused before speaking. "...I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth."

The Initiate frowned slightly. "It... seems more like you're preparing for war. ...Sir."

He was torn between smirking a tiny bit and being surprised that she didn't take his words unquestioningly, like so many others seemed to at times. When she asked about her own role in the Brotherhood, he straightened his posture.

"I want you to start taking responsibility for this planet," he began. "To start making a difference. And from what I've read in Paladin Danse's reports, you've already begun that journey. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't _get_ a better recommendation. With that, I'm granting you the rank of Knight."

The Initiate smiled a little, and Arthur almost nodded. She _should_ feel pride... not too many outsiders went from being a highly recommended Initiate to a Knight in such a short period of time, especially skipping over the rank of Aspirant. Just as quickly, however, the woman frowned.

"...Knight?" she asked tentatively, and then smiled again, looking slightly impish . "...Not a Paladin, like Danse?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow and stared at her a moment. ...Who _was_ this woman? He didn't know what to make of her _or_ her impudence - accidental or otherwise. He inhaled slowly, fighting to keep his face stoic.

"...The Brotherhood maintains a strict hierarchy organized by rank," he finally stated. "Paladin is several ranks above Knight, and it took Danse many years to achieve that goal. With your continued loyalty to the Brotherhood, I'm certain you can attain the same." There was much he wanted to ask and discover about this woman, but he didn't want to overwhelm her too much in one day. After all... the Prydwen was a lot to take in for even _seasoned_ members of the Brotherhood, and she hadn't even met the crew yet.

"In any event... it's getting late," he continued. "I recommend you finish becoming familiar with the Prydwen - I'm sure Paladin Danse can show you to the sleeping quarters. In the morning he can help you get you acquainted with my staff, and then you both are to report to the Flight Deck for your new orders. Welcome aboard the Prydwen, soldier. Make us proud." He saluted to her, then raised his eyebrows in slight surprise at her attempt at the same. He'd have to have Danse help her work on that.

"Ad Victoriam, Knight..." he trailed off, realizing he couldn't remember her name. _'Damn it, man...'_ he thought, annoyed at his own lack of foresight. He was sure Danse had noted it in the report (he was always so thorough like that)... but between thoughts of Recon Squad Artemis and the Institute, it was hard for Arthur to remember the one detail of the report he probably _should_ have.

"Oh!" The woman realized what he was waiting for and shook her head slightly. "Del- ...umm... Taylor, sir. Nora Taylor," she quickly corrected.

He paused for a moment, noticing the stumble of her words, then nodded. He was sure there was an explanation behind it, but that would have to wait for another time. "...Knight Taylor. Sleep well, Knight."

She nodded back at him before she headed out of the room, not noticing that Arthur watched her every move as she left.

Knight Nora Taylor... there was something about this woman, something... different. Something... more than meets the eye. Arthur couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't _just_ the fact that this woman was pre-war, _or_ a vault dweller... no. His eyes narrowed again as he thought about it. This woman was a puzzle, a secret waiting to be unraveled, and he was determined to figure her out.

* * *

END NOTE:  
I'm planning on making some of these chapter titles named after BoS quests – but obviously there's only _so_ many quests, and not all of the chapter names might match up w/ what the quest is in the game... so if you notice something like this, just know that I AM aware of it  & wasn't trying to necessarily match things up _perfectly_ (I'm sometimes a stickler for detail, and don't know if other people are like this also, LOL).


	3. Chapter 3 - Tour of Duty

NOTE: Wow... thank you *SO* much to everyone who has left me comments so far! I didn't get to respond to everyone, but you guys have totally floored me with your praise, and it just encourages me to write new chapters that much faster. The response has really been almost overwhelming to me, because I wasn't expecting as much as I got. You guys totally rock! :-D

* * *

Nora had recently left the Elder and was heading towards the opposite end of the Prydwen, when she heard the voice of just the Paladin she was looking for.

"...There you are. How did it go with Elder Maxson?"

She turned and saw Danse walking up to greet her. She opened her mouth to respond and paused, thinking about what exactly to say.

"He... seems so young compared to everyone else here."

It was true - when Nora had initially pictured the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, she pictured a battle-hardened, scarred, grisly... _older_ man. True, Elder Maxson had the odd scar here or there, and he _did_ have a burly, muscular figure, but... she wasn't expecting the... well... handsome, younger man that had scrutinized her with raised eyebrows.

"Don't let his age fool you," Danse replied. "Maxson's a brilliant tactician, a formidable warrior, and posses an idealistic vision for the future of the Brotherhood. I'd follow him anywhere without question."

Nora raised her eyebrows in surprise. When Danse talked about Maxson, she could see this was a man he deeply admired and respected.

"...Why are you so confident in his abilities?" she asked him. When he explained how Elder Maxson had brought the formerly-divided Brotherhood of the past back together under his guidance, she was almost impressed... but he also mentioned that the previous elder was 'too concerned with charity', causing her to frown slightly. Was that such a bad thing? Sure, the Brotherhood had their mission to collect and preserve technology, and their cause _did_ seem noble... but shouldn't helping civilians be just as important too? At least _some_ of the time?

She realized Danse was staring at her, waiting for a response. She nodded and said, "He's a very... dedicated man. It sounds like he stands behind everything he's saying."

"Of course he does." Danse said, as if it were common knowledge. "How could he afford not to? I just hope you appreciate how much of a chance I'm taking bringing you into the fold this quickly."

Nora nodded at him again. She could tell Danse was a respected officer in the Brotherhood... she could see it in the eyes of all the soldiers who interacted with him. All of the lower-ranking soldiers looked up to him, and the higher-ranking officers clearly respected him. Anything Nora did now would definitely reflect on Danse positively or negatively as well. She didn't want to let him down.

Danse went on. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you screw up... we go down together."

She blushed a little at Danse's _clearly_ unintended innuendo, and knew he didn't realize what he'd said when his expression turned confused at her reddening face. She became desperate to change the subject to something else.. _anything_ else.

"So... what's all this about you being my sponsor?"

"Elder Maxson is understandably particular when it comes to new recruits," he explained.

 _ _'I _'ll say,'_ __ Nora thought. _ _' _You should have seen the look he gave me when he realized I was your new Initiate.'_ __

"As your sponsor, it's my duty to travel with you throughout the Commonwealth to ensure that our ideals are being observed. That's why I'm so concerned about your performance in the field."

She smiled softly. She and Danse had worked well together so far. If anyone was going to guide her training here, she was glad it was him. She was determined to work hard and make him proud of her... and thus keep the Brotherhood proud of _him_.

"I _won't_ let you down, Danse. I promise."

This seemed to satisfy Danse and he nodded, his face relaxing a bit. "Good," he said. "Well, it's been a long day... for _both_ of us. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the Knight's quarters, and then we can pick things up again first thing tomorrow."

Nora nodded and followed behind him, looking forward to a warm bed and a good night's sleep.

* * *

"Now, I know you're eager to hop into a suit of power armor and take the fight to The Institute, but first thing's first. In order to be an effective part of the team, you need to learn your way around this ship and get to know its crew. Since I've been officially assigned to you as your sponsor, I'd recommend taking me along with you."

Nora bit back a yawn and nodded at Paladin Danse. She had a feeling that he could sleep for only an hour standing up in his power armor in the middle of the pouring rain, and still wake up 100% refreshed and ready to go, his brain 24/7 on the 'Brotherhood of Steel is LIFE channel' (somewhat like Knight Rhys, except at _least_ Danse seemed less grumpy about it... so far). She hadn't gotten as much sleep as she had hoped - Danse had come around bright and early in the morning to get her up and about - but this _was_ the future's military (or... the _present_ military, that is). She supposed it shouldn't have come as a surprise, and that this was just something she'd just have to get used to from now on.

"Sounds good, let's go," she agreed.

"Outstanding."

They met Proctor Teagan first. Nora was a bit surprised when she discovered that she'd need to _buy_ Brotherhood supplies - she'd assumed that the soldiers would've been able to help themselves to whatever they needed.

"Since when does the military sell equipment to its own soldiers?" she asked.

Teagan looked slightly annoyed at her confusion.

"Since someone dropped a whole bunch of _bombs_ and blew up every single factory that manufactured weapons and ammunition," he drawled, making her feel a little like a child getting lectured by a parent.

She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. She was trying to adjust to this world as best she could, but still sometimes forgot that things were _so_ different from the life she used to know.

* * *

Next up was Proctor Ingram. They found her in the armor bay with several sets of suits of power armor, all docked at their own individual stations. She was wearing a suit herself, although it looked like she was only wearing the power armor frame with no pieces on top of it.

"So, you're the new recruit I heard about," she said after looking Nora up and down. "Hmph. Not what I was expecting."

Nora held back a sigh. One would think she'd be getting used to this reaction from people by now, but it could still get a little tiring. Just how many wastelanders and 'outsiders' had the Brotherhood had trouble with?

Ingram made her introduction to Nora - basically, she was the one who kept the Prydwen running & the power armor working. She led Nora over to Bay 3 and explained that this would be _her_ set of power armor.

Nora looked away from Ingram to stare at the T-60 suit in front of her in awe. The military had had power armor in _her_ time, but it didn't seem quite like this. Even the suit she had worn briefly back in Concord when she first met Preston (a T-45, she believed) wasn't as nice as this one was. It was one thing to see someone walking around in a suit of power armor... Danse wore _his_ all the time. It was quite another to stand in front of one and know that it was _yours_.

Without thinking, she reached her hand out and touched the chest plate with her fingertips. She ran her hand over the cool metal and smiled softly. She jerked back a little when she heard a soft chuckle and looked back to see Ingram and Danse both watching her with amused expressions. Wait... Danse was actually _smiling_ \- had she even _seen_ him smile before?

"Just wait until you put it on," he said, "it'll feel like you can take on the world."

"The left leg actuator's a bit sticky," Ingram explained, "but it'll keep the creeps off of you. I'm stuck in _this_ rig, so I'm not as spry as I used to be... the work tends to pile up for me sometimes."

It took Nora a moment to realize what Ingram was referring to. She almost did a double-take as her eyes drifted downwards and realized that under Ingram's power armor frame, she had no legs beneath the knee joint. Her eyes immediately moved back up to Ingram's face, not wanting to stare. She was usually so observant, but she'd been so distracted with taking the Prydwen in that she hadn't even noticed.

Ingram had noticed Nora's expression change and went on to recount the accident that would have claimed her life, had she not been wearing her power armor. As a result, the suit she'd been wearing at the time had been trashed, and she lost both of her legs. After telling Nora to help herself to the workshops if she ever needed to modify her armor or weapons, Ingram excused herself to get back to work and left Nora with Danse once more.

* * *

Knight-Captain Cade was the next crew member to get acquainted with. He seemed surprised - but very pleased - when he checked his notes on Nora's recent history, claiming that she was "probably healthier than anyone else aboard." The questions he asked seemed fairly standard - contact with any radiation, disease... it was when Cade asked her about any 'sexual relations with non-human species' that Nora gaped at him for a moment.

Her face reddened as she realized Danse was still standing behind her.

Cade sensed her discomfort and cleared his throat as he gazed over at the Paladin.

After what felt like a long moment, Danse finally took the hint and excused himself, informing Nora that he'd be just outside the medical quarters when she was ready. ...He hoped that neither of them had noticed the slight flushing of his own face as well.

Cade returned his gaze back to Nora. She blinked and recovered from her shock a bit.

"...That happens often enough for you to have a _question_ about it?" she asked in surprise.

He rolled his eyes slightly and nodded. "You'd be surprised how many wastelanders answer 'yes' to that question."

She felt disgusted. No wonder why a few of the other soldiers seemed to whisper around her when she'd walked by them... it was bad enough that they probably all knew she was 'pre-war', some kind of novelty or relic to be gawked at, but if they thought she was capable of something like _that_...

Cade went on. "Fortunately, the Brotherhood finds that type of behavior absolutely distasteful. Since you haven't spend _too_ much time in the wasteland, I'll assume your answer is 'no'. " She nodded as he proceeded to his last question.

"Would you have any problems pulling the trigger on an enemy of the Brotherhood whether they're human, formerly human, or machine?"

... _This_ was a medical question? It seemed like more of a _morals_ question. When she asked him about it, he nodded enthusiastically - stating that the mental state of the crew was _just_ as important as the physical.

"Anyone that hesitates firing in combat due to misguided moral standards certainly isn't Brotherhood material."

She guessed she could understand that to a point, but... this had to have been the strangest medical exam she'd ever had in her life. Let's see... human, formerly human, or machine... well she'd already fought raiders, feral ghouls, and super mutants so far, and she'd fought against synths with Danse at ArcJet. But...

She thought of the synth detective in Diamond City - Nick Valentine - that had been there for her as well. Sure, she had been shocked (to say the least) at his appearance when she'd first met him with Piper - but without him, she never would have made it as far as she had... tracking and finding Kellogg, finally putting an end to the man that had killed Nate and kidnapped Shaun. Nick was kind, helpful, and not someone she wanted to destroy just because the Brotherhood believed that _all_ synths were evil...

When she realized Cade was still waiting patiently for her answer, she considered her words carefully.

"...Only to defend myself. I suppose... it would have to depend on the situation." She kept her mouth closed but gritted her teeth a little, hoping her answer wouldn't get her into any trouble. Luckily, this seemed enough to satisfy him. He nodded & dismissed her, telling her to let him know if she ever needed any medical assistance.

* * *

"Is there anyone else left to meet?" She asked Danse when she exited the medical quarters.

"There's just Proctor Quinlan left," he confirmed. "After that-"

Before he could continue, one of the Brotherhood squires ran up to them and saluted. "Paladin Danse! Elder Maxson is requiring the presence of both you _and_ Knight Taylor on the Flight Deck."

Danse frowned down at the squire, and Nora felt a little bad for him - the poor kid looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.

"...Can it wait a bit?" she asked politely. "We just have one more Proctor to speak with..."

"My apologies, ma'am," the squire said uncomfortably, "but the Elder wants to see you both _immediately_."

Danse nodded. "Very well. We'll head there now. Dismissed, squire."

The boy looked relieved to be excused as he hurried off, and Danse sighed as he looked back at Nora. "Well... I guess we'll have to introduce you to Proctor Quinlan _after_ Elder Maxson is finished with us. Let's go, Knight."

* * *

END NOTE:  
...I was a little torn between Danse exiting the quarters *before* Nora's medical exam, & remaining standing behind her - on one hand, obviously medical info is usually private... but on the other, our Danse is obviously a weird combo of G.I. Joe & Buzz Lightyear (lol), and would obviously know the 'exam' is just Cade asking questions, and I thought maybe as her sponsor/C.O. he'd almost insist on being by her side the whole time throughout crew introductions, so... ? Hopefully I handled that okay. :-)

Also, I know things in the fic seem to be moving slowly (at least to me, anyways, lol), but I *swear* they will pick up very soon. I *do* want to follow the main plot of FO4 for a bit, but it WILL start getting a bit AU the more time that goes on. And while I'm aware that Danse didn't get a lot of POV in this chapter, he will get more soon too. Thank you for your patience - things will get more interesting VERY soon, I promise! :-D


	4. Chapter 4 - Revelations

"Look at this place... you must hate these mutants as much as _I_ do."

Danse looked at the fort around him and shook his head. Nothing in the Commonwealth - _anywhere_ , really - was in pristine condition anymore, but Fort Strong had been overrun with super mutants and it showed. It was bad enough that the fort was in dire need of repair, but between the bloody meat bags and the deplorable filth in every room... urgh. The whole thing disgusted him, and he couldn't wait to finish cleansing the area of these abominations and be done with it. He was looking forward to securing the fat man stockpile for Elder Maxson so he and Knight Taylor could head back to the Prydwen as soon as possible and continue what they were doing before.

"...Why _do_ you hate super mutants so much?"

He blinked and turned back towards Knight Taylor. She'd taken her helmet off for a moment of rest and was now looking at him with raised eyebrows. He was almost a little surprised at the question. ' _...Didn't_ _everyone_ _hate super mutants? Why_ _shouldn't_ _I hate them? Why shouldn't_ _anyone_ _?'_

But... it wasn't fair to expect Knight Taylor to know his history - and maybe if she knew, she would understand all the more why the Brotherhood's work was so important.

"They're responsible for the death of a close friend, a Brotherhood Knight named Cutler." He bit back a sigh, trying not to remember... trying not to let the images play back in his head... "So when you ask if I hate them... I say _hate_ 's too gentle a word. These monstrosities are just another example of man blindly taking a step forward only to wind up stumbling two steps back. I've been fighting for years trying to put a stop to _this_ madness... and just when I thought we were getting the upper hand, along come the synths." His hands shook a tiny bit, and he clenched them into fists at his sides, willing them to stop.

"I've seen what these super mutants _do_ to people... can you imagine what the _synths_ would do to us if they ever got the upper hand? It would be armageddon, repeated. And maybe the end of everything that we hold dear." He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to stay calm. "Look... I don't mean to bore you with my rhetoric. I just want you to understand how important these missions are."

Taylor looked thoughtful for a moment, then met his eyes again. "How could synths bring about our destruction?"

Sometimes Danse forgot for a moment that Taylor was pre-war, and probably had very little knowledge about everything this world now had to 'offer'. He almost pitied her. It couldn't be easy - waking from her cryogenic sleep, only to find _everything_ she thought she knew gone, and having to adjust to the horrifying things this universe presented. He was almost amazed that she had made it _this_ far, having no military background prior to joining up with the Brotherhood. When she had shown up with her dog at the Cambridge Police Department that day, she was definitely _not_ the reinforcements he was expecting.

"If the synths reached the point where they outnumbered mankind... how long would it take for them to decide we were no longer necessary?" he said. "They certainly possess the capability to make more of their own kind, so we'd become expendable. And with Institute technology on their side... _nothing_ could stop them. Not even the Brotherhood. It's a nightmare scenario almost too terrible to contemplate." ...It was a thought Danse didn't like having in his head. It was a future he would do _everything_ in his power to prevent. He took a deep breath and nodded at Knight Taylor.

"Anyway... that's enough of that. What's important here is that you got the job done and secured these warheads." Truth be told, Danse was somewhat impressed with Taylor's work. She still had a ways to go and needed some more practice with her aiming and other gunwork, but all things considered - she'd handled herself almost like a seasoned soldier out here. With a little more work, she was going to be a real asset to the Brotherhood.

"You should head back up to the Prydwen and talk to Elder Maxson. I'm sure he'll want to debrief you as soon as possible. Then you can introduce yourself to Proctor Quinlan, and I'll be along as soon as I'm finished here. Dismissed."

* * *

Nora made her way towards the command deck of the Prydwen, running Danse's words through her head over and over again.

 _"They're responsible for the death of a close friend, a Brotherhood Knight named Cutler. ... So when you ask if I hate them... I say_ _hate'_ _s too gentle a word."_

She frowned, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Paladin. This world was tough enough - she couldn't imagine losing a friend or loved one to such monsters and then having to fight them over and over again every day...

...Then again... maybe she could.

She sighed, trying to push the images of her own nightmares out of her head. She was about to pass the medical area when she noticed that Proctor Quinlan was in his quarters with his back turned, concentrating on some documents in his hands. She paused, contemplating her options for a moment. She knew she was supposed to see Elder Maxson for her debriefing after the mission, but... well, Proctor Quinlan was right _there_ , and it would only take a moment or two, right? She headed into his quarters hesitantly, not wanting to startle him.

"...Proctor Quinlan?"

He addressed her without turning around, or even looking up from his papers. "Ah good, you're finally here. Just set the books down anywhere. I'll get to them as soon as I can."

 _'Books?'_ She thought. Maybe he had her confused with someone else, but her curiosity was piqued.

"What kind of books are you interested in?"

"Anything that contains 'pertinent information'," he replied, still not looking up. "Anything that enhances the Brotherhood's knowledge. Manuals, instructions, field guides, technical documents... I consider everything else a waste of paper."

 _'So if I find a copy of 'Oliver Twist', don't bring it to this guy. Got it,'_ she thought with a small smile. Her smile grew a little when she spotted a couple comic books on his desk. _'...A waste of paper, eh?'_

"And uh... what exactly can the Brotherhood learn from 'Grognak the Barbarian', I wonder?"

Quinlan finally looked up at this and turned around to face his his cheeky visitor. He blinked in surprise at Nora and peered at her for a moment behind his spectacles. "...Since it's obvious you aren't who I was expecting, would you mind telling me why you're here?"

"My apologies, Proctor," she said, trying to look a little contrite. "I was supposed to come meet you earlier, but Elder Maxson sent Paladin Danse and I to clear out Fort Strong, and I only just got back."

Recognition came across Quinlan's face. "Ah. Yes! You must be the new recruit described in Paladin Danse's report. Fascinating! Cryogenically frozen for over 200 years. I'm sure there's much you could share with the scribes here about pre-war life."

Nora stiffened a little at this. _'Well... I ran from my home when the bombs were dropping. My family and I ran to the vault. There were other people outside the fence crying, terrified and not wanting to die. We went down into the vault right as the bombs dropped. Vault-Tec lied to us and froze us. In front of my helpless eyes, my husband was shot and my son was kidnapped by The Institute. Then I was refrozen for God knows how long and woke up the only survivor of the vault. Do you think the scribes would find_ _that_ _fascinating?'_ she thought bitterly. She took a deep breath and shook her head mentally, scolding herself. _'_ _Stop_ _it Nora… you_ _know_ _that's not what he meant. ...Did_ _all_ _the higher-ranking officers get a copy of this report?'_ she wondered. _'...Just what did Danse say about me in this thing?'_

Quinlan went on to explain that he was currently bombarded with work & lacking personnel, so if Nora could keep an eye out for any technical data found in the Commonwealth, he would compensate her for her efforts.

She nodded and was about to take her leave, when Quinlan asked her if she had any questions about anything so far. She paused for a moment while she considered this.

"Elder Maxson seems to be younger than almost any of the other soldiers here," she started, remembering her conversation with Danse earlier. "He'd told me before that it took Paladin Danse _years_ to get to that rank. How did he get to be elder so young?"

...She conveniently left out the part about how she'd asked Maxson why _she_ wasn't being promoted to Paladin like Danse, even though she was _completely_ joking and not being serious when she'd asked him. ...He hadn't seemed to appreciate the question.

Quinlan's face lit up, like Nora had asked about his favorite topic in the entire world. "Ahh... now _that's_ an interesting subject." He looked around at the miscellaneous papers and books scattered around his quarters and sighed as his face fell again, like a child that'd had his ice cream taken away from him.

"Unfortunately... not one that I have much time to discuss." He gestured over to the terminal on his desk. "I have, however, been gathering information on our Elder's history, hoping to put something together to distribute to the uninformed. You're welcome to have a look if you'd like."

She nodded her thanks as she sat in front of the screen and opened a file titled, ' _The Rise of Elder Maxson_ ', as Quinlan turned back around to concentrate on his documents once more.

* * *

 _Opening Notes _ _  
These entries are my attempt at writing a timeline documenting Elder Maxson's rise within the ranks of the Brotherhood. It's my sincerest wish that these entries will one day be compiled in a classic printed book format and distributed throughout the Wasteland. Long live Elder Maxson and long live the Brotherhood!_

 _Background _ _  
Despite the defeat of the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood of Steel was still an organization divided. The Outcasts, a splinter faction that left the safety of the Citadel, still struggled to survive in the Capital Wasteland, separated from their parent organization. And while some of the Brotherhood members within the Citadel had no desire to reunite with their "disgraced" brothers, many saw the advantage in bolstering their own forces with warriors already trained and indoctrinated by the Brotherhood of Steel. Surely they could work out any... philosophical issues?_

 _Enter Maxson _ _  
Enter Arthur Maxson, young squire to both Owyn and Sarah Lyons, and descendant of the very founder of the Brotherhood of Steel, Roger Maxson. When Elder Owyn Lyons died, care of young Arthur Maxson passed to Sarah Lyons, Owyn's daughter, who was then named Elder in his place. But when Sarah fell in battle shortly thereafter, things became complicated. The Brotherhood of Steel based in the Citadel found itself in need of leadership, and began appointing one ineffective Elder after another._

* * *

...'Enclave'? 'Capital Wasteland'? 'Citadel'? Nora didn't pretend to understand what any of _that_ was, but figured it wasn't too important... at least for right now. The name 'Roger Maxson' caught Nora's attention for some reason, but she couldn't say why - or what about it stood out to her - just a slight nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She ignored it for now  & continued reading.

* * *

 _Accomplishments _ _  
As the years passed, and Arthur Maxson grew, so too did his accomplishments. At age 12, while on a training patrol, he killed two Raiders and saved the squad that was supposed to be escorting him. At age age 13, he single-handedly killed a Deathclaw (and gained the large facial scar he still has to this day). But it was his victory at age 15, over the Super Mutant "Shepherd" who was attempting to re-organize the Capital Wasteland's Super Mutants, that elevated him to hero-like status. When word of this feat reached the Elders back on the West Coast, they knew the time had come... Maxson was ready. Ready to lead and, more importantly, to reunite the fragmented Brotherhood of Steel forces on the East Coast._

 _Our New Leader _ _  
So it was that a year later, when he was only 16 years old, Arthur Maxson brokered a peace with the Outcasts, re-integrating them into the Brotherhood of Steel, and proving he was as effective a diplomat as he was a warrior. Now reunited, the full force of the Brotherhood of Steel appointed Arthur Maxson as Elder... the youngest in Brotherhood of Steel history._

* * *

...Age 12? Elder Maxson had killed raiders at age _12_?! Nora gaped at the computer screen. She knew this world was much different than the one _she_ was used to, but... he was just a _child_...

...Killed a deathclaw - single-handedly - at age 13...

...Stopped an army of super mutants at age 15... Elder of the East Coast Brotherhood by 16...

Instead of being in awe of the Elder like everyone else seemed to be, all Nora felt was... sad. _So_ much weight for just _one_ pair of shoulders... the mother in her ached at the unfairness of it all. She shook her head and forced herself to keep reading the rest.

* * *

 _Aftermath _ _  
Elder Maxson reigns supreme in the Capital Wasteland, and his authority and influence have been spreading across the Eastern Seaboard, thanks in no small part by the mobility afforded by the Prydwen. He has the full support of the Elders back on the West Coast, who have proudly reported that they've begun eradicating cults that have popped up, worshiping Maxson as though he's some kind of god. Maxson himself is almost offended by the idea of being referred to as a deity, as it goes against everything he believes in. Arthur Maxson is happy to be one thing... the perfect human specimen, an example of everything a human being can achieve. Assisted, even enhanced, by advanced technology, but still very much human._

* * *

...Cults? Nora leaned on an elbow and closed her eyes in frustration as she rubbed her forehead. This was getting nuts. At least Elder Maxson had put a stop to that. 'Enhanced by advanced technology' - geez, what-

Nora stopped rubbing her forehead as the nagging feeling in the back of her mind returned.

 _'Enhanced...'_

Her eyes popped open all of a sudden as she quickly sat up straight, a thought hitting her like a bolt of lightning. She scrolled back up on the computer screen.

'... _Arthur Maxson ... descendant of the very founder of the Brotherhood of Steel, Roger Maxson..._ '

...Roger Maxson? No... it couldn't be...

"Wait... _THAT_ 'Roger Maxson'?" Nora asked aloud in disbelief.

Quinlan jumped a little at her outburst and turned around again. "...I'm sorry?" he asked, sounding a little confused. She looked over at him, her eyes wide.

"Roger Maxson, Elder Maxson's predecessor - the one who founded the Brotherhood of Steel - that's not C _aptain_ Roger Maxson, is it? From the Mariposa Military Base in California, back in 2077?"

Quinlan slowly raised one eyebrow as he stared at her for a moment. "How did..." His other eyebrow soon raised as well, and he gaped at her for another long moment as he remembered just who he was talking to. "...My God... don't tell me... you actually _knew_ him?"

She shook her head. "Not me, my... husband." She felt a pang in her chest mentioning Nate, but went on. "Sort of, I mean... he was sent to California briefly after he was dismissed from Anchorage and served under Captain Roger Maxson for a short period of time, before he was honorably discharged back home again to Shaun - my son - and I." She felt another pang in her chest at mentioning Shaun, and she sighed heavily.

If Quinlan had been gaping at her before, he was absolutely _goggling_ at her now. "Wait... let me get this straight - your husband was in the military, served in the Battle of Anchorage, and _then_ served under the man who would later become the founder of the entire _Brotherhood of Steel_?" Quinlan looked like he was either going to pass out or die from excitement - Nora wasn't sure which.

She nodded and stood up, suddenly realizing just how long she had been in Quinlan's presence.

"I'm... so sorry Proctor Quinlan, but I just realized I was supposed to report to Elder Maxson for debriefing after my mission."

Quinlan looked a bit crestfallen for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, yes of course. You mustn't keep the elder waiting. But please - if you ever get a spare moment, I'd love to hear more. I'm sure this information would be _very_ interesting to the other scribes!"

She nodded again and headed out of his quarters, making her way once more to the command deck. She couldn't believe it. All the... 'astounding' things she had just learned about the Elder, and to top it all off - Elder Maxson was a descendant of Captain Roger Maxson. It seemed... things with the Brotherhood were about to get more interesting.

* * *

END NOTE:  
...Dun dun DUUUN! And the plot thickens! Hope you guys like this chapter! Things will get explained a little more next chapter when Nora reports in to Arthur. I won't bore you guys _too_ much with specific details, but I promise I'll do my best to keep it interesting. And coming soon (if not _next_ chapter, definitely the one after _that_ ) - Goodneighbor & The Memory Den! (And we know how _that_ turns out for poor Nora...)


	5. Chapter 5 - A History Lesson

Arthur stood at his usual place in the Prydwen with his hands behind his back, looking out over the Commonwealth. He'd been pleased to hear that the mission at Fort Strong was a success, and was just waiting to hear from Paladin Danse and Knight Taylor. He turned as he heard a knock behind him and nodded a greeting at Danse standing in the doorway.

"Outstanding work at Fort Strong, soldier." He blinked as he realized that Danse had arrived alone. "...Knight Taylor isn't with you?"

Danse raised his eyebrows in surprise. "She… hasn't checked in with you yet, sir? I dismissed her after we secured the fat man stockpile."

Arthur had just opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Knight Taylor puffed up the hallway and entered the room behind Danse, looking… a little shaken up. He supposed this wasn't entirely surprising, seeing as how she was still a new Brotherhood soldier and her battle experience was minimal.

"My apologies, Elder," she said as she caught her breath. "I ran into Proctor Quinlan along the way and stopped to introduce myself."

Danse frowned and looked like he wanted to reprimand his charge, but then thought better of it.

 _'Well… no harm done, really,'_ thought Arthur. _'Since it was her first mission, and she was speaking with Quinlan, I'll let it slide t_ _his_ _time. At least she didn't keep us waiting for long.'_ He waved a hand dismissively.

"No matter. I was just congratulating Danse on a job well done... yourself included."

She nodded and straightened up. "Thank you sir. I... was glad I could fight for the Brotherhood."

"I'm glad you feel that way," he began, "because our mission here has only begun. By now, I'm sure you've deduced that our arrival in the Commonwealth wasn't coincidental..."

As Arthur informed Nora a little more about locating the Institute, she couldn't help staring at him again, thinking back on the information in Quinlan's terminal. _'12 years old... raiders... deathclaw...'_ At the thought of a pre-teen-Elder fighting for his life against a deathclaw, she frowned as her eyes drifted to the long scar on the right side of his face. _'He was just a boy...'_ Her face fell a little more, saddened. __'...like_ _my_ _son is just a boy, now... what kind of things is Shaun being subjected to at the Institute?'__

"...I want you to get out there and become our eyes & ears on the ground. You seemed to have a vested interest in locating the Institute before we met, so I'm confident you'll travel in the right circles. If you discover a way in, I need you to report it to _me_ immediately." Arthur paused, noticing that Knight Taylor's eyes seemed to have glazed over a little bit. _'...Is she even paying attention?'_ he wondered. She was staring at him unblinking, and it took him a moment to notice that she wasn't looking directly in his eyes like she had the previous evening - her eyes were looking slightly lower, at the right side of his face. ...Almost as if she was looking at-

He frowned and narrowed his eyes as it suddenly hit him. Normally he didn't let other people's opinions get to him too much, but something about the way Taylor was looking at him... was that... _pity_ in her eyes? It was rubbing him the wrong way. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest.

"...Knight Taylor - is something _troubling_ you?"

Nora blinked and shook her head a little, stirred out of her train of thought. Elder Maxson was narrowing his eyes at her, and Danse was suddenly staring daggers at her...

 _'...Shit...'_ Her jaw dropped open for a moment as she struggled to explain herself. "Elder... I'm sorry, I... it's just... I..."

He slowly raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, waiting patiently.

 _'I saw the information Quinlan compiled about you on his terminal. I read about your hardships when you were younger. It reminded me of my own kidnapped son, who is_ _supposed _ _to be a baby, but is now older, I don't know just_ _how _ _old, and I missed several years at least of his life, and I wonder if you were without your family like_ _he _ _was, which makes me want to hug you, because it looks like you've never been hugged a day in your life, but that's totally weird isn't it, and now you're totally staring and Danse looks like he wants to kill me, and by the way - my husband also served briefly under your great-great-great-great (whatever) grandfather, and that's even_ _more _ _weird, and whenever I think this world can't get_ _more _ _f-ed up, the rug gets pulled out from underneath me_ _again _ _, and...'_

Nora felt like a bomb had gone off in her brain. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to will herself to sink through the floor. When _that_ didn't happen, she opened her eyes again and tried to clear her head as she chose her next words very carefully.

"...When I was in Proctor Quinlan's quarters, I read some information he had compiled about you on his terminal. About your background, and how you became Elder, and such."

Arthur made a face like he wanted to roll his eyes and stopped himself. _'Urgh,_ _that_ _... Quinlan drove me nuts when he created that, portraying me like some kind of... savior or something..'_ He felt the need to set the record straight a little.

"The information you read was true, Knight... albeit 'glorified' a little. I'm just a man like anyone else... just trying to lead my fellow brothers and sisters to victory."

 _'Always modest,'_ thought Danse, but felt that it was one of Maxson's better qualities.

Nora nodded and shuffled her feet a little, not quite sure how to approach the next point.

"You... your predecessor, Roger Maxson. The man that founded the Brotherhood of Steel. The first High Elder..."

Arthur nodded and waited for her to continue, not quite sure where she was going with this, but getting slightly anxious at the tone in her voice.

"He... he was a Captain in the U.S. Army in 2077. Second-in-command of a security team stationed at the Mariposa Military Base in California - where FEV research was conducted. ...The virus that eventually lead to the creation of the super mutants."

Arthur's eyebrows rose slowly as she went on.

"When Captain Maxson and his men learned about the human experiments going on in the base, all hell broke loose. The original Colonel of the security team suffered a nervous breakdown and locked himself in his office, eventually committing suicide a few days later. Captain Maxson assumed his command and became the leader of the team which would later become the Brotherhood of Steel."

Arthur already knew all of this - he had read Roger Maxson's diary entries many times on the archive terminal back at the Citadel. But... very few people had access to that data. And the information Taylor was giving him... was _not_ common knowledge. He gaped at her as she went on further, almost as if she were in a trance now.

"He ordered all the scientists at the base to be interrogated... and then later executed. He declared himself & his men in full desertion from the army via radio. No answer came, because the political situation in the world was so bad at that time."

She paused for a moment and looked down at the ground, getting ready to let the other shoe drop, so to speak. "Nate... my husband - he was serving under Captain Maxson when the interrogations began. He was one of the last soldiers that had been honorably discharged before the executions started happening. He told me about it later, once he was back home with my son and I."

She sighed heavily, now totally lost in the memory. "...It took him almost a month to open up to me about the whole thing. ...He was never _completely_ the same after that. A few months later, well..." she closed her eyes, swallowing a growing lump in her throat. "...the bombs dropped."

Arthur was completely thunderstruck... nothing like _this_ was in the report on Knight Taylor that Danse had initially given him. He looked sharply over at Danse for a moment, the look on his face clear: _'Did_ _you_ _know about this?'_ From the somewhat-horrified look on Danse's face, Arthur quickly realized that this was all news to _him_ , too. His gaze swung back over to Taylor. He was silent for a long moment, not really sure what to do with all of this new information. He slowly crossed the room and sat down on of the deck benches. When he finally spoke, his voice was much softer than usual.

"...Before the bombs fell... Roger Maxson ordered the families of all the base personnel brought inside the facility. It spared their lives. ...Afterwards, when it was... 'safer', he led the survivors in their Exodus to the Lost Hills bunker. At Lost Hills, Roger Maxson formed the Brotherhood of Steel. As the organization's first High Elder, he formed the Orders of Paladins, Knights and Scribes. "

As Nora took this new information in, her eyes widened as a thought hit her like a bolt of lightning:

...If Nate hadn't been sent home to Boston... Nora and Shaun might have been brought over to California instead. They all would have been inside the facility there when the bombs dropped. They would have never been inside Vault 111. Never cryogenically frozen. ...Nate never shot. ...Shaun never kidnapped by Kellogg and the Institute. ...None of this might have happened. _None_ of it.

...Nate might have been one of the original members of the Brotherhood of Steel.

If Nora got stabbed between the shoulder blades at that _exact_ moment, she probably wouldn't have even noticed. Judging from the looks on Elder Maxson and Danse's faces... they probably felt the same way. Green eyes eventually met blue as she finally made eye contact with him, only to find him staring right back at her. There was a very long, uncomfortable silence in the room... both of them secretly hoping the other would say something first.

Eventually, Danse gently and hesitantly cleared his throat.

"Elder Maxson..." he paused, not quite sure where to go from here himself. "...Your orders, sir?"

Arthur stared at the floor for another long moment. "...The fight with the Institute still remains. The sooner we find a way into the facility... the sooner we can deal with it and be done with them - once and for all." He looked back up at Nora, who had paled considerably. "...I'd pursue your lead regarding Dr. Amari. I'm not certain if she's a crackpot, or if she can genuinely assist your search - but our sources say she has some interesting technology at her disposal." There was another pause as his face tightened at the gravity of his next question.

"...Anything else, Knight?"

Nora shook her head slowly. "No... not right now, Elder."

Arthur nodded and stood up, suddenly feeling much older than his young age. "Very well then... dismissed."

* * *

END NOTE:  
1) ...I both hated and loved creating this chapter, lol. LOTSA 'fact checking' - and that was with me trying to keep things as *simple as possible*. I got all of the Roger Maxson info from The Fallout 4 Wiki and kind of went from there. I DID 'fudge' the details a bit to fit in w/ my story. All the Roger Maxson 'sh*tstorm' stuff actually happened (according to sources) in October 2077 - like, *right* before the bombs dropped (like - everything w/in the span of less than a whole month!). Obviously that wasn't gonna work for me fic-wise, so I changed things a little bit.  
If you're interested and want to read the 'real' version for yourselves, here's a couple links for the lazy (had to tinker with spacing in the addresses, b/c for some reason FF dot net keeps messing them up. Grr - just substitute the 'dot' below for actual periods, lol):  
\- fallout dot wikia dot com/wiki/Roger_Maxson  
\- fallout dot wikia dot com/wiki/Captain_Maxson%27s_diary  
It's actually quite interesting BoS history - hence why I hijacked the events for my own nefarious purposes, muahaha.

2) 'Fallout 4' canon says that Arthur Maxson is 20. I get *why* (in comparison to FO3, and the time past from that game to this one, etc).  
...However, *my* headcanon chooses to disagree with this. Seeing Arthur in the game and knowing that he's supposed to be only 20 almost breaks my brain. I understand that radiation exposure might age people prematurely/change how they look (per one fan's interesting theory), but there is NO way the man they animated in that game looks 20 years old. If Bethesda people were gonna do that, they should have done a MUCH better job (many Tumblr posters have posted misc. pics of modded 'Vanilla Arthur', in which he looks younger than the way they did him originally in the game, and yet still looks older than 20).  
ANYWAY: in my personal headcanon, Arthur IS in his 20s, like Nora - he's just not '20'. ...It won't make too much of an impact in my fic anyway, LOL.

NEXT CHAPTER: Goodneighbor, y'all! Hang on to your hats!


	6. Chapter 6 - Goodneighbor

"Safeties off... I don't like the look of this place one bit," Danse grunted as he took in his surroundings of the rundown area.

After leaving the Prydwen the following morning, Nora and Danse had just arrived at Goodneighbor to follow up on Dr. Amari, Nora's lead at 'The Memory Den'. The idea was that the technology here might help them pull memories from Kellogg's brain (well... the part of it that Nora _had_ ) about the Institute. But first, she had to catch up with Nick Valentine - who she'd agreed to meet at Goodneighbor _before_ she'd decided to seek Danse in Cambridge again and join the Brotherhood of Steel. Nick was the one that was going to introduce her to Dr. Amari.

Nora... wasn't sure how she was going to prepare Danse for him. She had a pretty good idea that her C.O. wasn't going to take too kindly to the synth detective. She hadn't said much on the trip over, unsure of what exactly to say, and it had made her somewhat nervous the whole way. Now that they were finally here...

She turned to Danse and swallowed nervously. It didn't help that he was already looking at the scenery with disgust. Even for a post-nuclear neighborhood... Goodneighbor looked like bad news.

"Hey, Danse? ...You know that detective I mentioned, Nick?"

He turned back to her. "The one that helped you find and confront your son's kidnapper, correct?"

She nodded. "There's... something I need to talk to you about... to tell you about him." She paused, still trying to find the right words. "...You... trust me, right?"

Danse narrowed his eyes a little. "...Judging from what we've been through _so_ far, I'd say your instincts have been pretty on point." A pause. "... _Why._ " It sounded more like a statement than a question. Nora sighed a little.

"Nick's... _appearance_ might be a little... _surprising_ to you. But please know that he's a very smart, kind... _person_ , and even though he may not be what you might _expect_ , I need you to trust _my_ faith in him. I never would have made it as far as I had - before I met _you_ \- without him."

Danse paused for a moment, weighing her words carefully.

"...Is there something I should know, _Knight_?"

She tried not to cringe. Not that Danse (or... _anyone_ in the Brotherhood) had ever addressed her by her _first_ name - but when he called her 'Knight' instead of 'Knight Taylor' or 'Taylor', especially when said like _that_ , it usually wasn't a great sign.

She opened her mouth to reply when a rough voice addressed them both.

"Hey, hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? ...Ya can't go walking around without insurance."

A man in a worn leather jacket walked towards them and blocked their entry further into the area. Nora was only wearing her blue vault suit & leather armor, her honey-colored hair pinned up as usual (she hadn't yet been issued a Brotherhood uniform, since supplies were a bit low at the moment), with the laser rifle Danse had given her strapped to her back. She had decided to forgo her power armor, feeling like it would be a bit clunky for this mission, & not wanting the extra weight unless necessary. She was sure she appeared not to pose much of a threat. She was also sure that if things got ugly, however, Danse - forever in _his_ power armor - could waste this guy in a matter of seconds, without even using any of his weapons.

As it was... it had been a long couple of days, and she really wasn't in the mood right now.

She narrowed her eyes at the man. "You better back off, or _you're_ the one who's going to need insurance."

The guy's eyes glanced to Danse frowning behind her, and his expression grew uneasy. "Whoa... hey, all right. We'll just, uh, say your insurance is paid up for now, okay?"

"Whoa, whoa, time out." A gravely voice spoke out from behind the man as another figure stepped out from the shadows, dressed somewhat like one of the Minutemen back in Sanctuary. As he came further into the light, Nora's eyes widened slowly as she got a better look at him. This guy... that skin... those black eyes... he was missing his nose! A ghoul! She tensed for a moment, having never seen a ghoul that wasn't _feral_ before.

But... he wasn't attacking them, wasn't being aggressive, he was _talking_... he seemed very calm, collected... just like any other person there. She relaxed a bit, deciding to hear him out.

The ghoul narrowed his eyes at their aggressor. "Someone steps through the gate the first time, they're a guest. You lay off that extortion crap."

"What do you care?" the man sneered. "She ain't one of us."

"No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let them go."

... _Mayor?_ This guy was the _mayor?_ She looked over at Danse, who... did _not_ look happy to see their 'rescuer'. In fact, his eyes were narrowed at the ghoul, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to pull out his weapon and blast him away.

"You're soft, Hancock," the man shot back. "You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day they'll be a _new_ mayor."

The ghoul - 'Hancock' - walked over to the thug.

"Come on, man. This is _me_ we're talking about," he replied, a small smile appearing on his radiated face. "Let me tell you something."

He pulled out a knife from somewhere within his red coat, then stabbed the other man repeatedly in the gut before anyone could react. Nora gasped as the thug grunted and hit the ground, dead.

"Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh?" Hancock asked the corpse. "Breaking my heart over here." He looked up at Nora and Danse. "...Now I know you had ol' Finn handled back there, but a mayor's gotta make a point sometimes. You all right?"

Nora gaped at him. She and Danse would _really_ have to watch themselves here. Still a bit in shock, her stupid mouth ran away from her before she realized it. "You. ...You're a ghoul?"

The corners of Hancock's mouth twitched a little. "That's right. Like my face? I think it gives me a sexy, 'King of the Zombies' kinda look. Big hit with the ladies." Danse grunted behind Nora, but Hancock ignored him. "Listen. Lot of walking rad freaks like me around here, so you might want to keep those kind of questions on the low burner next time."

Nora nodded, feeling a little embarrassed as Hancock continued.

"Goodneighbor's of the people, _for_ the people, you feel me? _Everyone's_ welcome. We cobbled this little neighborhood together out of the freaks and misfits that just wouldn't be accepted anywhere else. You'll see. You make enough friends here, you'll call this place home soon enough... so long as you remember who's in charge. Now - what can I do for our newcomers?"

She paused, taking a moment to really look Hancock over. He... certainly wasn't like anyone she had ever seen before, and not _just_ because he was a ghoul.

"...What's _your_ story?"

He smiled, making the crinkles on his face widen. "My favorite subject. I came into this town about... a decade ago? Had a smooth set of skin back then. While I was busy making myself a pillar of the community, I would go on these, like... wild tears. I was young. Any chems I could find - the more exotic, the better. Finally found this experimental radiation drug. Only one of its kind left, and only one hit. Oh man, the high was _so_ worth it. ...Yeah, I'm living with the side effects, but hey - what's not to love about immortality?"

Nora's eyes widened a bit. "You're _immortal_?"

"Well... not exactly. Ghouls just age really, _really_ slow. Something about the rads, maybe? Who knows..."

 _'So... don't play around with radiation or chems. ...Or irradiated chems. Got it.'_ She shook her head, awed. "...You're a hell of a risk-taker, Hancock."

He laughed softly. "Only have one life, why not try it all?" He glanced over at Danse, who had been scowling at him the whole time. "...What's up, 'tin can'?"

Danse just stared him down. "... _Filthy ghoul_ ," he finally muttered, revulsion clear in his voice.

Nora widened her eyes again and wanted to smack him. Not only was he being _completely_ rude, but Hancock was the _mayor_ of this obviously dangerous town _and_ he'd just stabbed a guy _right_ in front of them. _Seriously?_

" _Danse,_ " Nora hissed through her teeth.

Luckily, Hancock only looked mildly annoyed as he looked Danse up and down, pausing at the Brotherhood symbol on the front of his power armor.

"S'ok, darlin'... the Brotherhood of Steel ain't real found of ghouls. 'Course, the feeling's _mutual_. Ghouls, synths, super mutants... if the Brotherhood had its way, they'd put us _all_ down."

"You _bet_ I would," Danse replied. "As far as _I'm_ concerned, you're _all_ abominations of nature that shouldn't even exist."

" _Danse!_ " Nora was a step away from kicking him now, even if it meant spraining her foot against his armor. Hancock scoffed a little and shook his head.

"No worries, doll... like I said, _everyone's_ welcome here. Your 'tin man' will just have to deal with it while he's a guest here, if he doesn't want any trouble. Meanwhile, if _you_ need anything - feel free to reach out." He nodded and headed back towards the building Nora recognized as the Old State House.

She whirled around to face Danse now. "...You wanna tell me what the hell _that_ was?"

He looked at her indignantly, not liking her impudence. "Not that I have to explain myself to you, _Knight_ , but ghouls shouldn't even be allowed to _exist_. They could go feral at _any_ moment and be a danger to those around them."

She huffed angrily. "They're still _people_ , Danse. They didn't _ask_ for what happened to them. And Hancock - while clearly not a guy to make angry - isn't about to go attacking innocent people anytime soon."

He opened his mouth to reply but she shook her head, not wanting to hear it at the moment.

"I need to resupply... you're welcome to follow if you can try and be civil to people." With that, she turned and headed for the shops in front of her that she had noticed earlier.

* * *

"A new face walks into my store - and you're not even screaming yet. Very polite. You let me know if anything catches your fancy."

Nora blinked at the woman behind the counter who'd addressed her - _also_ a ghoul.

"...People scream at you?" she asked softly.

"That's right. Some newcomers have never seen a ghoul before. Can't handle a friendly face, I say."

Nora frowned sadly. The world could be a cruel place, _especially_ in this time. She hesitated with her next question, not wanting to seem rude. "...What's it like? You know... being a ghoul?"

The woman - Daisy, according to the front of the store - smiled kindly at her. "Well, I look pretty good for being 220 years old."

Nora's eyes widened. " _220_?"

Daisy looked a little guilty for a moment. "Okaaay... it's more like _270_ years, but don't go blabbing that to everyone. Being a ghoul means you live a long time. You stop counting birthdays. Do you know what it's _like_ being that old?"

Nora heard familiar clanking footsteps behind her, but ignored them. "Actually... I do."

Daisy laughed and shook her head a little. "Well _now_ you're just making fun of me. If you were as old as _I_ was, you would've been around since before the war. So let's hear it - come on. Tell me what the world was like before the war, if you're so 'ancient'."

Nora was silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

"It was… nothing like _this_. I had a beautiful house, a white picket fence, and a lawn with the _greenest_ grass you've ever seen. ...There were different seasons. We'd be in autumn now. The temperature would get cooler and the leaves would start to drop off of the trees. The ones that didn't fall would turn the most _beautiful_ shades of red, orange, and yellow. The holiday season would begin, and everyone would prepare to spend time with their families." At the mention of families, her voice cracked a little. "It was... peaceful. ...Relatively, I mean."

Daisy's face fell and she looked down sadly. "...It was, wasn't it?" Nora thought she heard a quiet sniffle. "Sorry... last thing you want to see is an old lady tearing up. Well, you're either the most well-preserved ghoul I've ever seen, or you're the second-best bullshitter in Goodneighbor. Ha!"

Nora smiled gently. "So... what do _you_ remember? About the past?"

"Oh, sweetie... I was an angry young woman back then. Thought the world was sick and wouldn't give me my due. Then it all ended, and well... _I_ ended in a way. Becoming a ghoul... maybe when you get to be my age, everything starts to look like fate. Anyway... I liked _your_ story better, whether or not it's true."

"It's the truth," Nora nodded. "All of it."

Daisy looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "You know… if you haven't already, you should check out the Hotel Rexford. There's another pre-war ghoul hanging around there. Well... we should get back to business. What are you picking up?"

* * *

After Knight Taylor's outburst, Danse had just stood there stunned for a moment. Sure, he'd had soldiers forget their place from time to time - a _little_ \- but none had ever spoken to him the way Taylor just had. He could forgive her for occasionally forgetting to use the title 'Paladin' before his name (which was happening more  & more often lately... he might have to quash that). He could forgive the fact that she was late to report to Elder Maxson the other day - she _had_ at least been with Proctor Quinlan, and given their conversation regarding the Elder (the news of which had shocked him at the amazing coincidence), he supposed it was understandable. He couldn't allow her insubordination, however. He was her superior, her C.O., and it would reflect poorly on _him_ if he let her get away with that. The Brotherhood was _everything_ to him - he couldn't let her drag his reputation down. It was bad enough she had shown any positive feelings towards that ghoul.

...The ghoul. Danse frowned even deeper. The ghoul - ' _Hancock_ ', he'd been called - had _proven_ that he was not to be trusted, and yet Taylor had wasted _no_ time defending him. ...And he was the _mayor_ of this despicable place! He didn't understand. Couldn't she see how _dangerous_ he was? How dangerous they _all_ were? What kind of a threat ghouls posed? It was just a matter of time before the radiation finished their brains off, and they attacked innocent civilians.

...It was what had caused Knight Keane to lose his life back at the Cambridge Police Department. He was _not_ about to let it happen to Knight Taylor… not on his watch. He turned and saw her standing in a nearby shop, talking to… another ghoul behind the counter (a woman, this time).

He scowled and stomped off towards her, ready to give her an earful.

"...If you were as old as _I_ was, you would've been around since before the war. So let's hear it - come on. Tell me what the world was like before the war, if you're so 'ancient'," he heard the female ghoul say.

When he heard Nora's response, he stopped and his face fell, his anger slowly disappearing at the tone of her voice. How... _sad_ she had sounded. When she described the leaves in autumn, he could almost picture it himself.

He sighed quietly. _'Damn it…'_ He hated feeling so conflicted. He turned and headed away, deciding to wait for Knight Taylor outside.

* * *

When Nora had restocked on enough fusion cells and stimpaks to last her for a while, she walked back out to see Danse standing with his back to her. She frowned, fully expecting a big fat lecture for her sass earlier (...even if he _had_ deserved it).

She walked up to him and cleared her throat tentatively. When he turned around, she blinked at his expression - halfway between annoyed and remorseful. It was almost like seeing a dog with its tail between its legs - but still looking as if it might bite you. It might have been funny, if it hadn't momentarily thrown her off.

"Danse, umm..." she trailed off, not quite sure what to say at first. "I... I was thinking... maybe we should check out the Hotel Rexford. I know we have a mission to do here - but we don't know how long it will take, and it might be good to have a secure location to sleep for the night."

Danse was grateful that she had spoken first. As far as the hotel being 'secure', well... as much as he didn't like it in Goodneighbor, they could either spend the night here with ghouls and other thugs that _might_ attack them, or somewhere out in the Commonwealth and _probably_ get attacked, and by something _worse_. At least at the hotel they'd have a warm bed and a locked door (...hopefully).

He nodded and followed her as she walked down the street towards the hotel.

* * *

As soon as Nora walked into the hotel, her stomach lurched violently as a pair of yellow irises turned to greet her.

" _There_ you are. I was beginning to worry you got lost or something. I figured I'd check for you here," Nick Valentine said from in front of the front desk, turning her way.

 _'...SHIT! Nick! I forgot all about him!'_ she thought, panicking. As she turned to look at Danse apprehensively, things seemed to move in slow motion.

First, Danse looked up at the sound of the voice. Then his eyes widened, almost bugging out of his head at the sight of the synth detective. Nora had to practically throw herself across the room to stop his hand from reaching his new laser rifle in time.

"NO! Danse _don't_!" she cried out as she restrained his arm (which was a feat, with his power armor on). Danse looked at her like she was insane.

"What is _wrong_ with you, Knight? That's a synth!" he hissed at her.

"Very observant," Nick drawled behind her. "...I bet the yellow eyes and the holes in my neck were a dead giveaway." He paused and then narrowed his eyes. "Wait - ' _Knight_ '? Ohhh... Nora, don't tell me you actually _joined_ those zealots?"

Danse's eyes flashed angrily over to Nick again. _Zealots?_ The Children of Atom - _they_ were zealots. The Brotherhood of Steel made _sense_. They were working to _protect_ the people of the Commonwealth. _Why couldn't anyone seem to see that?_

"Soldier…" he growled at Nora, staring daggers at her, "are you acquainted with this… this… _thing?_ " He spat the last word out forcefully.

Nora narrowed her eyes at him, matching Danse's glare dagger for dagger. " _HE_ is not a ' _thing_ '. This is _Nick_ , the detective I was telling you about."

Danse snorted incredulously. " _THIS_ is Nick? This _synth_? _THAT'S_ what you were trying to tell me earlier?" He shook his head. "Have you taken _complete_ leave of your senses?!" He shook Nora away from him roughly, but at least stopped trying to reach for his laser rifle.

Nick cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow (...sort of) at Danse. "If I was going to betray my gal here to the Institute, don't you think I would have done it already? As it _is_ , the Institute already decided I was junk _long_ ago and tossed me away like garbage. I'm a discarded prototype."

 _'His gal'?_

"First of all, I'm not inclined to believe _anything_ you say," Danse grunted. "Second of all, don't talk about her like that - she's not your _anything_."

Nick scoffed. "...And she's _yours_?"

Danse sputtered incoherently for a moment as Nora facepalmed, turning almost as red as Danse did.

"All right, _ENOUGH_ ," she growled. She turned toward Danse and glared at him again. " _Stop this_. I _know_ how you and the Brotherhood feel about synths. I _understand_ why you're apprehensive. _Nick_ is _not_ like that. _Nick_ discovered that Kellogg had kidnapped my son. _Nick..._ and Dogmeat... helped me track him down. _Nick_ was with me when we confronted him at Fort Hagen. Until I met you and joined the Brotherhood, _Nick_ was with me almost _every_ step of the way. Like he said - he had about a _thousand_ opportunities to hurt or betray me, but he never _has_. He's never even come _close_." She sighed and stepped closer to Danse.

"Danse... you said before that you trust me... that my instincts have been on point." She gestured behind her. " _I_ trust him. He just wants to help me." She gently put a hand on his armored shoulder. "...Please," she said softly.

Danse stared at her for a long moment, then glanced over at Nick and stared at _him_ for a long moment. Finally he sighed heavily and closed his eyes in defeat. When he opened them again, his eyes bored into the detective's.

"If you put _one_ toe out of line, synth... if you do _anything_ to betray her confidence, or _mine_... I swear to you, it will be the _last thing you_ _ever do_."

Nick smiled sarcastically. "Terrific... I think I just made a new 'friend'."

"Yeah, I'm _overjoyed,_ " came a voice behind Nick. They all turned to look at the older woman behind him at the hotel's front desk. "Now... if you're done with this little 'love fest', do any of you want a room or _not_? You're kinda freakin' out my other guests here." She gestured to her left.

Nora turned her head and saw a few people in the hotel lobby clustered near the side wall, having watched the scene between the three of them unfold with apprehension. Her face reddened again, embarrassed at their inadvertent public display. She cleared her throat and stepped forward to the desk. "My apologies... we _do_ need a room for the night."

The woman looked between the three of them and raised an eyebrow. "... _All_ of you?"

"Uhhhh-" was all Nora got out before the woman shook her head.

"Well unfortunately, I only have _one_ room left. You'll all have to... 'share'." She paused and narrowed her eyes. "...However you work that out is _your_ business, just keep the noise down and to _yourselves_."

Nick chuckled at the expression on Nora's face ...and Danse's. "Luckily for us, _I_ don't need sleep." He patted her on the back and leaned in close, so only Nora would hear him. "The 'Military Man' is all _yours_." Nora looked like she wanted to throttle him. He heard what sounded like a strangled cough from behind him as Danse lurched forward.

"Us sharing a room would be... _highly_ inappropriate," the soldier mumbled. He looked at the woman behind the desk. "...There isn't _anything_ else available?"

The woman scoffed and shook her head, her patience with the three of them growing thin. "Not unless one of you wants to sleep in the _alley_. Now... do you _want the room_?"

Nora sighed and looked at Danse. "We'll just have to sleep in shifts, I guess." She turned back to the woman and nodded. "Thank you. And... sorry again about all that."

The woman rolled her eyes as she handed Nora a key.

Nick turned to Nora. "Well... now that _that's_ all settled, I think I could use a drink. There's a bar down the street, 'The Third Rail'. We could stop there for a little bit, catch up, and then I could take you over to 'The Memory Den' to meet Dr. Amari."

Nora knew Danse was probably eager to just complete their mission and be done with it, but she had to admit - she could really use a chance to unwind, if only for a _little_ while. She looked at Danse hopefully, who looked like he wanted to say something, but then just huffed and rolled his eyes. She nodded at Nick. "Give us a chance to drop some stuff off, and then we'll met you there."

Nick nodded and headed out of the Rexford as Nora headed for the stairs, Danse trailing behind her.

* * *

Nora was walking down the hallway towards their room when one of the other doors opened, and a ghoul in a mustard-yellow trench coat and hat stepped out. He blinked and did a double-take when he saw Nora, his jaw dropping as he stepped in front of her.

"What? No... it can't be..." he rasped. "It... it's _YOU_! From Sanctuary Hills, right?"

She stared at the ghoul with a confused expression on her face. He had called it 'Sanctuary _Hills_ ' - like from before the bombs had dropped - not just 'Sanctuary'... and Daisy had _told_ her about a pre-war ghoul here at the hotel. Who did she know from Sanctuary Hills? As she looked him up and down, her eyes widened as the recognition slowly hit her.

"Wait... are you from... _Vault-Tec?_ "

The ghoul almost looked enraged for a moment. "I _AM_ Vault-Tec! Twenty years of loyal service, and _now_ look at me. I wasn't on 'the list'." He stared at her, his eyes wide. "But _you_. Look at you. Two hundred years and you're still _perfect_! How? How's that _possible?_ "

Nora gaped at him for a moment as the memory of that fateful morning played over again in her head. "The vault... it had these... 'pods' that froze us in place. ...I only thawed out recently."

"What? Vault-Tec never told me that. Unbelievable!" He scowled. "Well I had to get to the future the _hard_ way. Living through the... filth! The decay! And the bloodshed! Look at me... I'm a ghoul! A _freak_!"

Nora frowned sadly as she listened to him and felt her chest tighten. All this time... he had survived, and had to endure all that becoming a ghoul had entailed... for over _200 years_. What had happened to _her_ was terrible, no question - but what happened to _him_ was _just_ as terrible. Being forced to watch the world burn and die over time, and not being able to do a damn thing about it... having to watch his own appearance get radiated away...

The ghoul went on. "After the bombs fell and I came to, that bucket of bolts of yours was still there, trimming those fucking hedges like nothing had happened."

She remembered encountering Codsworth after she had finally left Vault 111 and headed back to what remained of her home - confused, devastated, in complete shock - and there he was, trying to tidy to house as usual, bemoaning that nothing got 'nuclear fallout' out of the wooden floors.

"Are there any other ghouls out there?" Nora asked tentatively. "From... before?"

"You mean crazy Kent and 'nothing bothers me' Daisy? Yeah... there's a couple of us. But no one from the neighborhood. No one from Vault-Tec. They just... left me there..."

She bit her lip, feeling her face starting to get tight. "I'm... _so_ sorry... I didn't know this would happen."

The ghoul stared at her for a moment, sadness clearly evident on his face. "You know... you're the only other person I met from... _before_. I... uh... I..." His face twisted up in pain. "Oh God... I've been so alone here! No Commonwealth settlement wants a ghoul with 200 years of Vault-Tec sales experience!"

Nora wanted to make this right. She didn't know how, but... she felt like she had to do something, _anything_ to try and make up for the horrible pain and loneliness this poor man had had to go through.

"...Where else could you go?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked down at the floor, sadness evident in his expression. "Diamond City bigots don't allow ghouls inside. It's just here, or back at Sanctuary talking to that crazy robot of yours."

Nora's eyes lit up at the mention of Sanctuary. "Hey! You know... you _could_ head back to Sanctuary. The Minutemen have established a settlement there, and they're some of the nicest, most welcoming people I've ever met. You'd be welcomed with open arms, I swear. I'll even come visit, I promise."

The ghoul looked up at her, his jaw dropping. "...Really? You... you _will_?" She could see tears starting to prick at the corner of his eyes, her own eyes starting to mist a little. He smiled, his whole face lighting up. "O-okay!" He paused, then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

She froze, surprised, then smiled softly and hugged him back. She thought she heard a grunt from behind her, but didn't pay too much attention. This might have been the first physical contact this man had experienced with someone in over 200 years. At least being frozen was pretty much instantaneous to her - she couldn't imagine what it'd be like to be so alone for that long, and prayed she never had to find out.

He released her after a moment and stepped back, looking a bit bashful. "I'll head over there right now. You... promise you'll come visit, right?" She nodded and he smiled as he nodded back. "I'll see you there!"

She watched him descend the stairs for a moment, forgetting Danse was still with her as he moved to stand beside her. Danse 'hmph'ed and scowled again.

"...That _thing_ shouldn't be living _anywhere_... it should be put out of its misery."

He looked over at Nora again and did a double-take as he saw the expression on her face. She was looking at him as if she'd just been stabbed. Fat tears started to leak from her eyes, her mouth dropping open. His jaw dropped as he stood there, taken aback and not sure what to say next. He'd meant what he said, but... he never intended to upset her. If he'd thought that _that_ was going to be her reaction, he wouldn't have said anything at _all_. His chest tightened with guilt.

As he fumbled for something to say, she walked past him to their room. She opened the door, tossed some of her stuff inside, then turned and headed back down the stairs again without a word or a second glance at him, leaving Danse still agape and standing alone in the hallway.

* * *

NOTE: Poor Danse... I'm making him kinda mean here, lol. I hate to do it, but it _was_ part of his mindset in the game. And yes - if he's with you when you meet the Vault-Tec ghoul, he _does_ say that line. :(

...Yes, I'm _fully_ aware that the 'one hotel room left' situation is totally and _completely_ cliché. ...But are you _really_ that upset about it? ;-)  
…..And no, I can _already_ tell you that ' _THAT'_ is not going to be happening next chapter - you dirty minds. There's so much more story to get through and they barely know each other yet! ^.^

As for the Vault-Tec guy... my heart went out to him _so_ much when I saw that scene in the game. I felt like the Sole Survivor didn't _really_ respond to him that much, and it always kinda bothered me. So... I went a little further/deeper with it. ... _I_ wanted to give that guy a big hug for everything he'd gone though. :-(

As a last note: I know I'm doing a lot of the main story points, and I promise I'm not going to go through every _single_ one... there's just a few I thought that I _really_ needed to touch upon for the story, so hopefully I'm not making things too drawn-out and boring. ...It'll be worth it later, I swear. :-)

Next chapter: The Memory Den!


	7. Chapter 7 - The Memory Den

Nick walked towards the bar in The Third Rail and nodded at the white Mr. Handy behind the counter.

"What's the word, Charlie? Anyone new in need of finding?"

"Valentine," the robot acknowledged with his cockney accent, polishing a glass with his metal arms. "None that didn't want it, or have it coming."

"Always the humanitarian, ain't ya, Chuck?" He chuckled as he sat further down the bar to wait for Nora to arrive with - what had she called that Brotherhood guy? Danse? Hmm. As long as he didn't try to vaporize Nick with his laser rifle again, he could call himself anything he wanted.

He listened to Magnolia sing one of her jazzy tunes for a couple minutes, then saw Nora sit at the bar beside him out of the corner of his eye.

"Watch your caps in this place," he quipped to her. "Folks _behind_ the bar are as likely to rob you as those in _front_ of it."

" _Oi_!" he heard Charlie protest from the other end of the bar.

He smirked a little and turned to look at Nora… then froze when he saw the expression on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was avoiding his gaze, her shoulders slumped over.

...Either she had suddenly developed the world's worst allergies in less than 15 minutes, or she had been crying right before she entered the bar.

His face fell as he quickly glanced at the stool on the other side of her - which seemed to be missing one suit of power armor containing a cranky, synth-hating soldier.

...This was not good.

He stared at her for a few seconds, then stood up from his stool and gingerly took her arm. "Come on," he said gently, and guided her towards one of the couches at back of the bar to give them a little more privacy. Nora allowed herself to be led obediently. Once they were seated, he paused to consider how best to approach the situation - he didn't want to say something to make her feel worse. After a moment he gave up and simply decided to be direct.

"...So what happened? You two have a fight?"

She finally looked up at him and shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again. ...Well _that_ helped. He smiled sympathetically.

"...You might have to help me out a little here, kid."

Nora couldn't help chuckling a tiny bit at that, which made him feel a little better. _'Well,_ _that's_ _at least something.'_

She told Nick all about the ghoul from Vault-Tec - and Danse's comment after he'd left - as Nick listened patiently.

"...It wasn't so much his _comment_ \- it certainly wasn't his first 'gem' of the day," she said with a sigh. "It was kind of… _everything_. I mean, here's this guy who not _only_ had to endure turning into a ghoul, _and_ seeing the horror of the bombs dropping _and_ the aftermath, but then - on top of _everything_ \- felt totally and completely alone and abandoned for _200 years_. All alone. I mean… _I_ have people I can rely on, like Preston, you, Piper, and yes - even _Danse_ now, I think."

Nick was still uneasy with that, but let her continue.

"...This poor man has had absolutely _NO ONE_. For two. Hundred. Years. It broke my heart. Nick..." she looked at him and shook her head. "...you should have felt how tight he hugged me when I suggested he go to Sanctuary to be with the other settlers there. It was like... I gave him his life back or something. Like I suddenly gave him… _hope_."

He smiled at her softly. "It sounds like you did."

She looked away and frowned. "When Danse said what he said - it was just kind of the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. I just didn't understand how he could be so... _cold_. So uncaring of another person's pain."

Nick was quiet for a moment, then took the opportunity to light a cigarette while gathering his thoughts. He offered one to Nora, who shook her head.

"...What made you decide to join up with them in the _first_ place?" he asked her.

"I thought they were my best chance to find the Institute, get in, and get Shaun back," she replied. "...I _still_ do. The Minutemen are noble, and I'll still continue to help Preston and the others as much as I can - but... I think they're a bit out of their league compared to the Institute. The Brotherhood of Steel have a bit more... 'oomph'."

"Firepower _and_ fervor... the Brotherhood has both in spades," Nick said. "Inviting them to our doorstep, though... I'm getting the feeling we just cracked the lid on Pandora's box." He sighed. "...Look, kid - all I'm trying to say is that the right tools in the wrong hands can be _just_ as unsafe as the person or people wielding them. These Brotherhood guys - they can be dangerous. I'm not saying they're necessarily _bad_ people - I heard the ones in the Capital Wasteland helped bring purified water to the entire area. Just maybe... _misguided_. They 'know' that _their_ way is the best way, and don't really listen to anything different. I just... want you to be careful, that's all."

Nora nodded, contemplating his words. She decided not to mention to him that Nate had briefly served under the Brotherhood's original founder way back when, just in case.

"Putting _that_ aside for the moment," he went on, "let me ask you something."

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "...Is something wrong?"

"Well... I sort of had the same question. It's just... with everything that's happened with you, your family... it's a whole hell of a lot to process. I wanted to make sure you're holding up alright."

She shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, Nick... my family's in tatters, I've been dropped into this place where everything's trying to kill me... you tell _me_."

He nodded. "I'd expect you to feel lost, scared, and mad as hell. _I_ sure did. Took me a long damn time to get a feel for this place. Thank goodness I found Diamond City. It's got its flaws, sure, but it beats the hell out of anywhere else in the Commonwealth. 'Course... when I took up there back when, people were just as scared of the Institute as they are now, maybe more. Plenty of people just assumed I was some kind of saboteur, moving in to melt down the reactor or poison the drinking water. But at the time, they couldn't exactly turn me away. They let me in because I rescued the then-mayor's daughter from a group of kidnappers... four guys just looking to make some quick caps."

Nora's eyes widened. "You took down four guys by _yourself_?"

"I didn't _have_ to. Back then, synths were more of an unknown quantity than they were today. I told them I was rigged to explode and started going, 'beep beep beep'."

She burst out laughing and shook her head. Nick chuckled also.

"Hardest part of that rescue was keeping from laughing as they climbed over each other to get away." He paused, then gently put a hand over hers. "...It took me a long time to realize that home is where you make it. With some time and effort... this place can be home for you, too. Well-" he looked around the bar with raised eyebrows. "Maybe not _this_ place..." She laughed again and he smiled. "...I know the night seems dark right now... but it won't last forever."

She smiled back and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "...Thanks Nick."

He nodded and pulled his hand back as he stood up.

"Alright, well... gonna go stretch my legs a bit before I take you over to Dr. Amari. Take your time, and when you're ready I'll meet you over at The Memory Den." He paused as a thought suddenly hit him. "Do you... think your Brotherhood chum is going to be joining you?"

Nora frowned as she thought about how she had left Danse. She had tossed some of her stuff into the hotel room & hurried for the stairs, trying not to let him see the tears starting to run down her face from her conversation with the Vault-Tec ghoul. Judging from the shocked look on his face though, he'd definitely seen her upset. _'Good,'_ she thought, _'Maybe it'll teach him to change his attitude a little.'_ She sighed.

"I don't know... he probably will at some point because Elder Maxson sent us on this mission _together_..." she ignored Nick's slight huff. "But... I don't really know what kind of a mood he'll be in when he does."

"Well I wouldn't worry about that," Nick said. "He's in _Hancock's_ territory for now, and if he gives you any grief, he'll have both him _and_ me to deal with."

She had a mental image of Danse in his power armor - Nick hanging from one arm and Hancock hanging from the other - with Danse trying to shake them both off. She snickered and waved Nick off as he walked out of the bar.

* * *

Nick exited to the street and started walking in the direction of The Memory Den. He stopped short when he spotted Danse outside The Hotel Rexford, pacing like a caged animal. Occasionally the soldier would stop and change direction, heading towards The Third Rail... but then turn and head back towards the hotel, stop, rub the back of his head (well... hood) in what looked like frustration, and start pacing all over again.

As Nick watched him with interest, he heard a familiar gravelly voice behind him. "Valentine... should I be worried about our 'tin can' friend, here?"

Nick turned to see Hancock stop at his side, his eyes on Danse.

"I heard he put on a bit of a show at the Rexford when he saw _you_ there," the ghoul said.

Nick scoffed as he looked back towards Danse as well. "I'd probably be a pile of ashes on the hotel lobby floor if Nora hadn't stopped him."

"Nora... that's the vault dweller that was with him?"

Nick nodded. "She's his new 'Knight', apparently."

Hancock looked slightly appalled. "No way, she's one of _them_?" Nick nodded again as Hancock grunted. "Oh man... well, I did tell her _everyone_ was welcome here. I just hope he doesn't cause any more scenes."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Nick said. "Nora's a _lot_ tougher than she looks, and a good judge of character. Our soldier here might be a little... rough around the edges-" Hancock snorted at this, "-but she wouldn't be giving him the time of day if there weren't any redeeming qualities there." He watched Danse stop and rub his head again and sighed. "...Guess I should 'nudge' him in Nora's direction so we can get the meet-and-greet with Amari over with."

Hancock chuckled and patted Nick on the back. "Godspeed, Valentine. I don't envy _that_ conversation."

He nodded at Nick and headed back towards his office, as Nick reluctantly headed over in Danse's direction.

* * *

Danse had just begun pacing again for what felt like the hundredth time, oblivious to the drifters outside the hotel giving him shifty-eyed, suspicious looks. He knew he needed to talk to Knight Taylor, to straighten things out between them one way or other, but he was at a bit of a loss right now. He couldn't help how he felt about ghouls _-_ he _did_ find them dangerous, like ticking time bombs waiting to go off. They shouldn't exist - the risk was too great. It was what the Brotherhood had taught him, and it made sense to him. So why was _he_ the 'bad guy'?

...But he also couldn't stop seeing Knight Taylor's face in his mind, full of pain and sadness, tears leaking from her eyes. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

Suddenly he spotted the synth detective walking over to him slowly. He froze and straightened up. He wasn't about to pull out his rifle again, but it didn't mean he approved of _its_ presence any _more_ , either.

The synth looked at him for a moment with its abnormal yellow eyes.

"...It's 'Danse', right?" it... ' _he_ ' asked.

Danse nodded stiffly. There was another awkward pause as they just stared at each other, each not quite sure what to say. The synth sighed.

"Look... I know we're not going to be 'best friends' or anything like that. And given your background, I don't expect you to fully trust me. But Nora trusts _you_ , and... that's good enough for me. So... I expect you're wondering where she is." He paused, his eyes narrowing a little bit. "Of course, if you're just going to _yell_ at her... maybe I ' _forgot_ ' where she is at the moment."

Danse frowned, not liking the disapproval in the synth's voice. He opened his mouth to argue, then hesitated and sighed, feeling defeated and tired.

"...I just want to talk to her," he finally said.

* * *

Nora was still sitting on the couch in the back of The Third Rail, listening to the music when Danse approached her.

She tensed up when she saw him, fully expecting a lecture. Instead, she was surprised to see that he looked a little... remorseful. He shifted in his power armor uncomfortably for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Soldier. Is there... somewhere we could talk?" he asked her. "Somewhere... a little more candid, perhaps?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded as she stood and led him out of the bar.

* * *

Back at the Hotel Rexford, she sat on the edge of the bed in their hotel room and looked up at him, unsure of what to say. Danse paced around the room and rubbed the back of his hooded head, doubtful of how to approach the situation himself. She sighed softly and began to squirm. This was getting a little more drawn out than she was comfortable with, and if they wanted to get this mission completed _today_ , maybe _she_ should initiate the conversation.

"Look, Danse..." she started slowly.

He stopped pacing and looked at her, grateful that she had started speaking.

"I... I _know_ how you - and probably the whole Brotherhood - feel about synths and ghouls," she said. "The _non_ -feral kind. You're all very... 'logical', in your own way. And I understand _why_ you think that they _might_ be dangerous. But..." she looked up at him. "...ghouls that aren't feral are still _people_. They're no more dangerous than any _other_ person that could decide to take up a weapon and start attacking someone. Most just... want to live their lives like anyone else. That ghoul from earlier - the one from Vault-Tec..." She paused, remembering the sadness that had been clear on his irradiated face. "He didn't do anything bad to _anyone_. He'd just gone to work that morning, done his job, and then... had to watch the world as he knew it _end_. And to top it all off... he was _completely_ alone for almost the _entire_ time after that. No family. No friends. No _anyone_. " She looked up at him.

"...Can you imagine what it would be like to feel _so_ alone?"

Danse almost flinched and hoped that she hadn't noticed. He was silent for a long moment before he nodded, so slightly that Nora almost missed it. He froze for a moment and she raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was what she'd said that had Danse looking so conflicted, before he turned and went to the corner of the room with his back to her. She watched him, confused for a moment, until she heard a metallic _hiss_ as the back of Danse's power armor opened up and he stepped out of it, wearing an orange Brotherhood uniform. He turned back towards her, then walked over to the bed and sat down on the opposite corner from her.

Nora stared at him the entire time, almost having forgotten that there was a _person_ in there under all that metal. And... huh.

...Not that she ever expected Danse to have a 'beer gut' or be skinny, but... she also hadn't expected him to be so... big.

... _Muscular_.

She almost jumped when she heard Danse sigh, shaken out of her slight stupor. She blinked and scolded herself mentally. _'Good God, Nora… get_ _a grip, for crying out loud...'_

Danse looked over at her - _Why was she looking at him like that? Wait, no... focus_ \- and cleared his throat gently. "Knight Taylor... this isn't a formal meeting. I... simply want to clear the air."

She nodded and waited for him to continue.

"...I grew up alone in the Capital Wasteland. Spent most of my childhood picking through the ruins and selling scrap. When I was a bit older, and had a few caps to my name, I moved into Rivet City and opened a junk stand. I had things a lot harder before I joined up with the Brotherhood of Steel."

Nora was dumbfounded. She didn't know what she'd been expecting from Danse, but it sure as hell wasn't... _that_.

"So when you ask me about being alone... yes. I _can_ imagine. I mean..." he shrugged. "Obviously not for _200 years_ , but... sometimes it sure felt that way. Look..." he turned towards her a little more. "I still stand by my beliefs. I _still_ find ghouls dangerous, and I'm inclined to not exactly be warm towards your synth... companion. But...I also think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot when we first met, and I feel like I owe you an apology. Expecting you to embrace the standards of the Brotherhood without having a history with us was... unfair. And given that you've adjusted so well to our beliefs - _mostly_ ," he added at the end, shooting her a knowing look, "I don't think I needed to push so hard."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was still a bit thrown for a loop and faltered for a moment. _He was apologizing?_

"Are you worried that I'm going to quit the Brotherhood?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I just felt it was the right thing to do. And while I can't make any promises, I will... _try_ to rein it in with my comments around and about civilians." He took a deep breath and continued.

"When I was an Initiate, my sponsor was Paladin Krieg. Toughest squad leader I ever served with. He was a model soldier, embodying the values every trainee striving to achieve. Fiercely loyal, secure in his beliefs, and brave to a fault. From the moment I was assigned to his squad, I was singled out. It felt like he was pushing me harder than the rest of the team. I fought by his side for years and we had some seriously close calls, but he never explained to me _why_ I was treated that way."

"...Did you ever _ask_ him why?"

"I'd considered it - but unfortunately, I never had the chance. After I was promoted to Paladin and I had moved on to my own squad, I received word that Krieg was killed at Adams Air Force Base."

Nora's face fell at his expression. "I'm... so sorry."

He sighed and looked down. "The news was like being kicked in the stomach. I mean, I'd lost some of my brothers and sisters before, but his death... well, it really got to me. It's taken me a long time to realize it, but the reason Krieg was so tough on me is the same reason I'm so tough on _you_." He looked up at her again. "It's because I believe in you... and I don't want to see any of your potential go to waste."

Nora was quiet, touched by his words.

He was silent himself for a moment, then stood up. "Well... I've said what I had to say, and I hope that it meant something to you. I... trust you'll keep this in confidence, of course. Some of that information was of a personal nature, and well... I'd like to keep it that way."

She nodded as he walked back over to his power armor, then she chuckled. "You know... I've never seen you out of your power armor before. I was beginning to think it was fused to your body or something."

Danse climbed back in and gave her a small smile when he turned around again.

"A good soldier uses every tool to his advantage. Now if you're ready, Knight... I believe we have a mission to complete."

* * *

Nick was relieved when Nora finally walked into The Memory Den, Danse close behind her.

 _'Well... looks like they made up,'_ he thought dryly. Irma lay on a couch in front of them and directed them downstairs to see Dr. Amari. They headed down to the basement, where there was a woman in a white lab coat with her back turned.

"Doctor Amari?" Nick called out.

"Yes?" The woman turned around and peered at her visitors. "I take it this isn't a social call."

Nora stepped forward. "You're the one who can extract memories from a brain, right?"

Dr. Amari raised an eyebrow. "Normally we only allow our clients to experience their _own_ memories. Now what's this all about?"

"We need a deep dig Amari, but it's not gonna be easy." Nick said. "The perp, Kellogg, is already cold on the floor."

She looked from Nick to Nora again. "Are you two mad? ...Putting aside the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, you _do_ realize that the memory simulator requires intact, LIVING brains to function?"

Nora sighed, starting to get a little desperate. "Please... Nick told me you're the _only_ one who can make this work."

"This dead brain had inside knowledge of the Institute, Amari." Nick said. "The biggest scientific secret of the Commonwealth. You _need_ this, and so do we."

Dr. Amari sighed and shook her head. "Fine. I'll take a look, but no guarantees. Do you... have it with you?"

Nora pulled out the component she had taken from Kellogg's corpse. "Here's... what I could find."

Dr. Amari took it and stared at it incredulously. "...What's this? This isn't a brain! This is... wait... that's the hippocampus! And this thing attached to it - a neural interface?"

Nick narrowed his eyes, not having taken a good look at Kellogg's implant before. "Hmm... those circuits look awfully familiar..."

"I'm not surprised," Dr. Amari said. "From what I've seen, all Institute technology has a similar architecture. ...Mr. Valentine, you're an older model synth. _You_ might be compatible. If we're lucky, it should hook right in." She looked at Nora and Danse cautiously. "But even if this works, he would be taking in a tremendous amount of risk. We're talking about wiring something to his brain."

Nora looked at Nick and frowned. She certainly didn't want anything bad happening to him after all he'd done to help her so far. He sensed her hesitation and shook his head.

"Don't worry about me Amari, let's do it."

"Nick... are you sure?" Nora asked hesitantly.

He nodded and smiled to reassure her. "We got a missing kid on the line. That's worth the risk."

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "...I really appreciate this."

"You can thank me when we've found your son," he chuckled. He turned towards Dr. Amari. "All right, let's do this."

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Valentine. Just sit down."

He took a seat in a chair by Dr. Amari. "If I start cackling like an old, grizzled mercenary, pull me out, okay?" he quipped.

Dr. Amari moved behind him and started to tinker around with the back of his head. "Let's see here... I need you to keep talking to me, Mr. Valentine. Any slight change in your cognitive functions could be dire. Are you.. feeling any different?"

He winced a little. "There's a lot of flashes... static... I can't make sense of any of it, doc."

"That's what I was afraid of." She frowned and stopped what she was doing to straighten up and look at Nora and Danse. "The mnemonic impressions are encoded. It appears the Institute has one last failsafe. There's a lock on the memories in the implant."

Nora sighed and glanced at Danse. They both seemed to think the same thing: _...Is that it?_ Her gaze returned to Dr. Amari. "Is Nick gonna be okay?"

"Yes, the connections appear to be stable. Hopefully, it'll be as simple as unplugging the implant once we're done. But that doesn't get around the current problem: the memory encryption is too strong for a _single_ mind, but... what if we used _two_?" She raised an eyebrow and stared at Nora for a moment.

Danse disliked that.

"...We load both you and Mr. Valentine into the memory loungers. Run your cognitive functions in parallel. He'll act as a host, while your consciousness drives through whatever memories we can find."

Danse hated that.

"Wait a minute," he said, speaking up at last. He gawked at Nora and stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "Taylor... you can't seriously be considering doing this?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "...I don't think I have much of a choice."

"Of _course_ you have a choice! This is risky for... _him_ ," he gestured towards Nick, "and he's a _synth_. What's going to happen to _you_ if something goes wrong?"

She bit her lip and looked downward. "I understand your concern... but this is our _only_ lead on the Institute right now. I have to at least _try_. Besides..." she looked up at him again, "we both know being a soldier in the Brotherhood means facing risks on missions sometimes. It's inevitable."

He frowned, realizing she had him there. She turned back to Dr. Amari.

"Any idea of... what I'm going to see in there?"

The doctor shook her head. "I have _no_ clue... but considering we have only a single piece of the medial temporal lobe, and not the _whole_ brain, I doubt it'll be... cohesive."

Nora took a deep breath, then nodded. "All right... let's get started."

"Just sit down over there, and... keep your fingers crossed."

"See you on the other side," Nick murmured as he got up from the chair and climbed into the second memory lounger.

Nora moved over to the first lounger and sat down inside. Danse stopped her before she pulled the cover down.

"Taylor -"

She looked up at him and he hesitated for a moment before swallowing nervously. "Just... be careful, soldier."

She stared at him for a moment, then smiled softly and nodded as she pulled the lounger closed.

He moved over to stand beside Dr. Amari at the control panel, which monitored both her and Nick's vitals as well as showed what Nora would be seeing on a screen in front of them.

"Initiating brain-wave migration between the transplant and the host," Dr. Amari said as she got the machines started. "...Mnemonic activity coming from the transplant! It's degenerated, but... it's there!"

As Nora stared at the screen in front of her and waited for something to happen, she heard Dr. Amari's voice. "We're going to load you into the strongest memories we can find. They might not be stable... just hold on!"

Everything seemed to go completely white as the machine started to do its thing. After a moment, things went dark again as Nora saw unclear shapes in front of her, brief flashes of light... it was difficult to make anything out at first. She heard Dr. Amari's voice again.

"Can you hear me? Ah, good. The simulation appears to be working, although the memories are quite fragmentary. I'll try to step you through the intact memories, and hope we find one that gives us some clue to the Institute's location."

Nora meanwhile tried to navigate her way through the darkness on her end, trying to find anything that might make sense or resemble a memory.

"...There... this is the earliest intact memory I can find," Dr. Amari said.

As a scene came into view, she saw a boy sitting on a bed reading comics and a woman - most likely the boy's mother - sitting on a chair by the bed reading a book. A man banged on the bedroom door, yelling at the other two abusively.

Nora tensed as she heard a different man's voice speak, as if to her.

 _' _Mom knew how it was. She wasn't soft, but... she loved me in her way.'__

She wondered if Dr. Amari had seen any change in her vitals, because she heard the doctor's voice next.

"Remember - you're experiencing these memories as _Kellogg_. This may prove disorienting at first."

The man's voice... it _had_ been familiar to her - it must have been Kellogg's thoughts of his own memories.

"This doesn't seem to be what we're looking for," Dr. Amari said. "There appears to be another intact memory close to you in temporal sequence... there. Try that one."

Suddenly Nora saw a younger Kellogg and a woman in an apartment, along with a baby in a crib. ...A baby. ...Kellogg had been a father. _And_ a husband. She felt a flash of anger. He'd once had the very things that he had taken from _her_.

 _'I was the worst thing that ever happened to her...'_ Kellogg's voice said.

She navigated through a few different memories of Kellogg's, each time hearing his thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Kellogg carrying a gun and kicking in a door, a voice taunting him about his family 'dying like dogs' (so... he had lost _his_ family too...)... Kellogg in a bar, agreeing to do mercenary work... Kellogg meeting with a woman from the Institute, surrounded by Gen 1 synths, negotiating caps for his services...

"We're running out of brain here..." Dr. Amari was saying. "Ah, there's one that looks mostly intact. Connecting now."

She saw Kellogg and two Institute scientists in decontamination suits, standing in what looked like... some kind of...

 _"Manual override initiated."_ A robotic voice announced. _"Cryogenic stasis suspended."_

...Oh no... _no_. Not _this..._

* * *

Danse frowned beside Dr. Amari. These memories of - Kellogg, was his name? They didn't seem to really be getting them anywhere. Kellogg's inner thoughts didn't reveal too much to help them... even the memory of his first meeting with the Institute hadn't told them much.

He sighed as they got to the next memory, Kellogg and two Institute scientists in decontamination suits - one typing on a wall terminal as the other two stood waiting. It looked like they were standing in some kind of... vault.

 _"Manual override initiated."_ A robotic voice said. _"Cryogenic stasis suspended."_

 _'...Cryogenic?'_ Danse thought. _'Wait. Isn't that...'_ ...Cyrogenic pods. ...In a vault. His eyes widened a little as the realization suddenly hit him. _'...Oh no...'_

* * *

Nora watched as one of the Institute scientists typed on a terminal while Kellogg and the other scientist waited impatiently. The typing scientist finally said, "Pod C6. Down the hall, near the end."

' _I didn't know_ _then_ _who it was we were grabbing from the Vault.'_ Kellogg's thoughts said. _'Of course... neither did_ _they_ _. Not really. I never knew why we didn't just refreeze the rest of them... but we had our orders. I guess the old man didn't want so many loose ends. Too bad he left alive the_ _one_ _person he shouldn't have.'_

Kellogg and the scientist not typing on the terminal walked down the row of cryopods. As Nora passed each one, she could see the other vault residents inside, slowly awakening and becoming aware of their surroundings. They appeared how she remembered feeling back then - confused, scared.

Kellogg pulled his pistol out of his jacket. Things seemed to happen in slow motion after that.

Him and the scientist stopped near the end of the row. On one side was Nate, holding Shaun in his arms. On the other was Nora, who had just regained consciousness and was starting to pound on the cryopod glass.

"This is the one. Here." said the scientist, pointing at Nate's pod.

Kellogg turned to glance at the Nora still in the other pod.

 _'Even then... I knew it was a mistake leaving her_ _alive,'_ he thought. _'I understood that kind of revenge. No one better. But I was cocky enough to assume I could handle some soft prewar vault dweller, even if she somehow got thawed out. ...At least I know those Institute bastards will soon get what's coming to them, too. If she could take_ _me _ _out... they won't be able to hide from her for long.'_

Nora's heart felt like it was hammering in her chest, knowing what was coming and desperate to not relive it again.

* * *

Danse was livid. He glared at Dr. Amari, beginning to panic."You have to get her out of there - _now!_ "

"I can't!" exclaimed Dr. Amari. "Putting aside the fact that we haven't found what we're looking for, if I pull either of them out right now without warning, I could damage either of their brains or even _kill_ them. There's nothing I can do right now, I'm sorry - the memory has to run its course."

Danse turned to look from Nora's vitals to Nora herself. Her blood pressure was accelerating rapidly and he could see tears beginning to run down her cheeks. He squeezed his hands into fists, willing himself to stay calm. It was all he could do not to get her out of that damn thing himself.

* * *

Kellogg turned back to Nate's pod. "Open it," he told the scientist.

The scientist activated the switch on Nate's pod and the door opened up. Nate coughed as he reawakened and a soft cry come from Shaun in his arms.

"Is it over?" Nate asked weakly. "...Are we okay?"

"Almost," Kellogg answered him. "Everything's going to be fine."

 _'You liar!'_ Nora wanted to scream.

" _You have to get her out of there -_ _now_ _!"_

She thought she heard a familiar voice speak, sounding very far away, but she was once again drawn back to the horrific scene unfolding in front of her.

The scientist reached out for Shaun. "Come here, baby..."

Nate pulled him back protectively. "No, wait. No... I've got him!"

Kellogg raised his pistol, and Nora saw the cryopod-Nora pounding hard on the thick glass window now, yelling from inside her pod.

"Let the boy go," Kellogg told Nate menacingly, as the scientist tried to wrestle Shaun from Nate's arms. "I'm only gonna tell you once!"

Nate was frantic, trying to keep hold of their son. "I'm not giving you Shaun!" The fear and desperation in his voice was like a dagger in Nora's heart.

Kellogg fired once, right into Nate's chest - killing him instantly.

 _"Nooooooo!"_ Cryopod-Nora screamed hysterically, her cries muffled by the window. Shaun wailed as the scientist took him from her husband's dead arms.

"Goddammit! Get the kid out of here, and let's go..." Kellogg turned and looked right at cryopod-Nora, who was still screaming and beating on the glass with everything in her, tears streaming down her face. He smiled sadistically.

"At least we still have the backup."

 _"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized,"_ a robotic voice said, as the other scientist typed at the terminal and activated the cryopods again.

The Nora in the cryopod gradually stopped slamming her fists on the glass as she became frozen once more, icy tears stuck on her face.

Kellogg and the other scientists headed out of the vault with Shaun.

After a pause that felt as if it lasted forever, Nora heard Dr. Amari's voice.

"...I'm, uh... I'm sorry you had to go through that again. I've found another intact memory. ...Whenever you're ready."

Nora didn't know if she even _wanted_ to see any more... but if she didn't, she might never see Shaun again, so she forced herself to press forward.

The next scene was the inside of a familiar looking house... where had she seen this before? She suddenly realized she was in Kellogg's house in Diamond City - the one she had examined with Nick for clues.

As the scenery became clearer, she felt like she was hit by a wall - there, sitting on the floor, was a boy of about 10 years old. He had Nate's facial features, but... he definitely had Nora's green eyes. She felt tears pricking her eyes again. Was this... _Shaun?_

"Is that... your son?" Dr. Amari said. "This appears to be a very recent memory, so... good news, I think."

Kellogg himself was sitting in a chair near Shaun, watching him play.

 _' _It wasn't my idea to settle down with the kid in the middle of Diamond City. I thought it was a terrible idea, actually,'_ _ his thoughts said. _ _'But it was one of the old man's pet projects, so here we were. Me and the kid, like a happy little family. I ended up kind of liking it. A reminder of what my life might have been if things had... turned out differently. But there's no going back. I knew it was just temporary, and it would be back to normal business before too long.'__

A dark-skinned man entered the house, wearing sunglasses and a long black trench coat. Kellogg's thoughts identified this man as a synth - a 'Courser' to be specific, whatever _that_ was.

"New orders for you," the synth said. "One of our scientists has left the Institute. He's gone rogue. Dr. Brian Virgil. We know he's hiding somewhere in the Glowing Sea. Here's his file."

Kellogg took it from the synth and looked it over. "Capture and return, or just elimination?"

"Elimination. He was working on a highly classified program."

"No kidding. One of the top Bioscience boys? Damn. So... I guess you're taking the kid back with you."

"Affirmative. Your only mission is to locate and eliminate Virgil."

Shaun looked up at the synth. "You're taking me home to my father?"

Nora wanted to scream at this. _Lying bastards! Your father was murdered by these people! And that place is_ _not_ _your home!_

"Yes," the synth said. "Stand next to me and hold still." When Shaun had done so, the synth seemed to speak to no one in particular out loud. "X6-88, ready to relay with Shaun."

Shaun turned towards Kellogg. "Bye Mr. Kellogg! I hope I'll see you again sometime!"

With a flash of light and what looked like crackling electricity, they both disappeared into thin air.

"Teleportation!" called out Dr. Amari's voice. "Now it all makes sense. Nobody's found the entrance to the Institute because there _IS_ no entrance. Let me pull you out of there. As soon as you're ready..."

* * *

Danse sighed with relief. They'd finally found the answer they were looking for, and now Dr. Amari could finally get Nora out of that damn machine. He waited for the door to the memory lounger to open... but it continued to stay shut. He glanced at Dr. Amari, confused.

"...What's taking so long?" he asked impatiently.

Dr. Amari frowned. "There's... one last memory coming through. I thought we were finished, but I can't seem to stop this one..."

They both looked at the monitor with baited breath.

* * *

Kellogg stepped out from behind a bunch of machinery, a few Gen 2 synths with him, pointing their Institute rifles at someone. They appeared to be in... some kind of fort.

"And there she is... the most resilient person in the Commonwealth," he said wryly. "Funny... I thought _I_ had that honor. You came a looong way. Let's hear it."

A distance away, there stood Nora in her blue vault suit - the laser rifle Danse had given her pointed right back at Kellogg. Her face looked absolutely murderous as she glared daggers at him. Nick trailed behind her, also aiming a pistol at him.

"...You murdering, kidnapping psychopath!" She hissed at Kellogg, acid dripping from every syllable. "Give me my son! Give me Shaun! _NOW!_ "

He looked mildly amused, which only seemed to enrage her more. "Hmph. Lady... I'm just a puppet like you. My stage is a little bigger, that's all."

" _Enough,_ " she spat. "Just... where is my baby?"

"Shaun's a good kid," he replied. "So maybe he's not quite a 'baby' anymore. But he's doing great. Only... he's not here. He's with the people pulling the strings. If you're hoping for a happy reunion..." he shook his head. "...Ain't gonna happen, pal."

Nora was clearly reaching the end of her patience, her hands starting to shake a little. "Goddammnit, you mercenary _motherfucker_... _Where. Is. My. Son?_ "

Kellogg seemed very unmoved by her words. "What's the cliché? 'So close... but yet so far away'? That's Shaun. But don't worry - you'll die knowing he's safe, and happy. ...Bit older than you expected, but ah well. At least he's in a loving home... The Institute."

"So where _is_ it, huh? This... 'Institute'? How do I _get_ there?"

He laughed cruelly. "Haven't you been paying attention? You don't 'find' The Institute... The Institute finds _you_. You open the closet... it's just a closet. You never find the monster that lives inside. ...Not until it jumps out at you."

Nora scoffed bitterly. "Here. The 'Institute'... I'll find my son no matter _where_ he is."

He smiled. "Heh! That's the spirit. You know... you surprise me, I have to admit. I find myself actually kind of... _liking_ you. I admire your dedication to motherhood - even if it _is_ ultimately useless. But I think we've been talking long enough... we both know how this has to end. So... you ready?"

She took a deep breath, her eyes boring into his. "You know... in a hundred years, when I finally die, I only hope I go to hell so I can kill you all over again, you _piece of shit._ "

The screen finally went white at the exact moment that Nora, Kellogg, and Nick all raised their weapons, as the doors to the memory loungers finally opened.

* * *

"...Slow movements, okay?" Nora head Dr. Amari say to her as she sat up. "I don't know what kind of side effects the procedure might have had. No one's ever... done this before. How do you feel?"

' _Like a truck ran me over... then reversed and drove over me again.'_

She shook her head slightly, trying to shake off the migraine she was starting to get. She wobbled a little as she stood up and felt strong metal hands on her arms. Looking up, she saw Danse standing over her, a worried look on his face. "I'm... okay, doctor. Thank you," she murmured. She realized there were tears on her cheeks and tried to nonchalantly rub them away, her face flushing a little in embarrassment.

"That's good, but I want you to keep monitoring yourself," Dr. Amari said. "We have to be sure there's no long-term damage. Are you... ready to talk about what happened in there?"

Nora really didn't feel like talking about it much. "You were along for the ride. You saw what I saw."

Dr. Amari nodded and looked sympathetic. "Yes... but it's important we review everything together, in case either of us missed anything."

Nora sighed and lowered her head as she thought back. "We got what we needed. The Institute uses teleportation to get in and out."

"Yes. Their greatest secret has finally been revealed. But that only leads to more questions. How does it work? Where do we go next?" The doctor wondered.

They were all silent for a minute, then Danse spoke up. "That scientist Kellogg was supposed to track down - Virgil. We need to find him."

"You're right!" Dr. Amari said. "A rogue scientist could answer all kinds of questions. I didn't know an Institute scientist _could_ defect. Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That doesn't make sense. No one goes there. Not even if they were desperate."

"Why?" Nora asked, looking up at her again. "What makes the Glowing Sea so dangerous?"

"The name says it all - radiation. _So_ much that nothing could possibly live. Nothing... pleasant. Navigating radioactive hazards is nothing new, but the Glowing Sea can kill a man in seconds. That's why it doesn't make sense, Virgil fleeing into that hell. The exposure alone..."

Nora contemplated this for a moment. "That's why he's there - to make the Institute think twice about following him. If we need to find Virgil, then I'm going after him."

Danse's gaze snapped over to her. "Not _alone_ , you're not."

"If you're going to go, be prepared," said Dr. Amari. "You'll need some way to combat the radiation there. There are chemical compounds - Rad-X, RadAway... You'd need as much as you can carry. Maybe more. A sealed environment suit would be great, if you can find one. Or maybe..." she looked over at Danse and raised her eyebrows. "...one of those suits of power armor? That would be perfect. It's called the Glowing Sea for a reason."

Nora nodded. "We'll find a way to get through the rads. Don't worry."

"Good luck, and... be safe. By the way, I unplugged Mr. Valentine first. Removed the implant while you were waking up. He's waiting for you upstairs."

When Danse was sure Nora could walk just fine on her own, he followed her back upstairs to see Nick sitting by the entrance.

Nick looked up at them as they approached, a strange expression on his face.

 _" _Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head,"_ _ he said, his voice suddenly not his own. Nora's blood ran cold. __"Heh heh... I was right... I should've killed you while you were on ice."__

Danse instinctively pushed Nora behind him and reached for his laser rifle as she cautiously peered around him at Nick.

"...Kellogg? Is that you?" she asked cautiously.

Nick blinked and looked at her behind Danse, confusion coming across his face. "What? What are you talking about?"

Danse slowly lowered the hand reaching for his rifle again and Nora sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "...You sounded like Kellogg just then."

Nick's eyebrows rose. "Did I? Hmm... Amari said there might be some 'mnemonic impressions' left over... anyway, I feel fine. Let's get going."

He stood up and Danse opened his mouth to argue, but Nora put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, so he reluctantly shut it again.

"Actually Nick... I'm really kind of beat. If it's all right with you guys - I'd kind of like to get some rest, and then -" she turned towards Danse. "-we can head out tomorrow and report back to Elder Maxson on what we found."

Danse nodded. "Affirmative. A good night's rest might be just what we need to clear our heads."

Nick nodded as well. "In that case, I'll head back to Diamond City and seek out Piper. Maybe she found out some useful information on the Institute while we were gone. If you need anything from me, just let me know."

They all said their goodbyes. Nora was somewhat pleased that Danse was at least tolerating Nick's presence without scowling (much), and after exiting the Memory Den, she and Danse headed back to the Hotel Rexford while Nick headed out of Goodneighbor.

* * *

END NOTE:  
A couple quick things:

\- Yeah, I used a couple speeches from Nick _and_ Danse. With Danse especially, I kinda sliced a couple things together, but obviously more of his backstory will come around again later.

\- The whole 'Memory Den' sequence: yeah, I cut some stuff out and played around with it a little. I figure almost everyone knows how this scene went down at this point, so the extra little details weren't needed as much if _everyone_ already knows what happened. Hope I did it okay.

\- As you see, I also added Kellogg's 'final memory' to the sequence. I know why they didn't have it in the game (obviously they weren't going to have the player go through the same whole scene twice), but I thought it would be kind of a neat touch to allow Danse to see Nora at her worst (so far, lol).

Coming Up soon: 'The Lost Patrol' - what happened to Recon Squad Artemis? ;-)  
(...Yes, I _know_ it's out of order from the game - just enjoy anyway, lol.)


	8. Chapter 8 - The Lost Patrol

By the time she got back to their hotel room at the Rexford, Nora felt completely exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to lay her head down and just forget the world for a little while... but when she heard Danse clanking into the room behind her in his power armor, she suddenly remembered - one room, one bed. There _was_ a couch, but it wasn't especially large, and she was sure it wasn't nearly as comfortable as the bed was.

She stared at the bed in front of her for a moment, and her face flushed a tiny bit as she cast a sideways glance at the Paladin.

"Take it," Danse said without even hesitating.

Nora blinked in surprise. "But... what about you?"

He shook his head as he headed to a corner of the room and exited his power armor again with another metallic _hiss_.

"...I don't need much sleep," he replied simply.

Nora narrowed her eyes. How could he not need much sleep? He was as human as _she_ was. She opened her mouth to argue but he shook his head again.

" _Sleep_ , Knight. That's an order. We leave bright and early in the morning to report to Elder Maxson on our findings." He walked over and sat on the couch, but didn't lay down.

She hesitated for a moment - but when it looked like Danse wasn't going to cave, she gave in to her exhaustion and nodded, pulling off her armor & slipping under the covers. She was almost out before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Danse felt relieved when Knight Taylor went to sleep. Of course he slept when he _had_ to... he _was_ only human, after all. But it was rarely restful anymore, and he didn't want Taylor to know that. It was tough enough that they had to share a room. He knew he'd have to sleep at _some_ point, but... maybe if she went to sleep first, and _then_ he let himself nod off a little... just _maybe_... he'd sleep through most of the night as well, no nightmares this time. ...Maybe.

He rubbed his forehead and eyelids and sighed softly. Just... for a little while. As much as Goodneighbor was not the best, cleanest, or safest part of the Commonwealth, their room _was_ locked, and he had slept in much worse conditions. He'd be of no use to Maxson completely worn out.

He finally allowed himself to lay back on the couch and close his eyes for what he hoped would be at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

Danse awoke slowly to the sound of a soft moan. He cracked one eye open and looked around the room, stopping when he saw that it was still somewhat dark behind the window shade. He opened his other eye and sat up, still half asleep and trying to get his bearings. Another moan caught his attention and he turned his head towards Knight Taylor, realizing the sound was coming from her. She was tossing and turning in her sleep, and it seemed to be getting worse by the minute.

He frowned as he got up and walked over to her to get a better look. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead, and she had a pained expression on her face as she writhed. "

 _"...Shaun..._ " she whimpered softly. " _Nate..._ "

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, afraid that something like this might happen... especially after what he'd seen - and heard - at the Memory Den. Losing a family member would be traumatic for _anyone_ \- he'd seen it happen far too often to his brothers and sisters in steel in the Brotherhood. What had happened to Knight Taylor, however... he wouldn't have wished that on his worst enemy. Unfortunately, he knew nightmares - and a traumatic past - all too well.

He paused as he watched her for a moment, trying to decide how to proceed.

She squirmed and moaned again, tears starting to leak from her eyes. "No, take... me instead..."

He sat on the edge of the bed and gently put a hand on one of her shoulders.

"Knight," he murmured, not wanting to startle her. He shook her shoulder a little bit. "...Taylor..."

"NO!" she cried out - and before Danse could react, a fist flew up and made contact with his jaw.

"Urgh!" Danse grunted as he got knocked off the side of the bed, landing on his side. " _...Damn it..._ " He rubbed the side of his face and winced. Nothing broken... and luckily, Taylor hadn't hit him _too_ hard - just hard enough for it to sting for a moment or two. He looked up at her as she bolted upright and looked around at the room, appearing confused by her surroundings. She blinked several times, her breath coming in pants, then did a double-take as she noticed Danse on the floor.

"...Danse? ...W-what..." She stared at him for a moment, then her hands moved to her cheeks as she realized they were wet. She wiped at them furiously before she looked back down at him. "...What are you doing on the floor?"

He sat up and rubbed his jaw again. "You... were talking in your sleep. It... seemed like you were having a nightmare."

She frowned and looked downward at herself, noticing that the bedsheets were tangled around her. Her face reddened, embarrassed that Danse had heard her. _What... had she said?_

Her nightmare had been awful. First, she was back in the vault, pounding on the inside of the glass cryopod again, forced to watch Nate get shot and Shaun get kidnapped. Then the dream phased into another scene - when she and Nick had confronted Kellogg at Fort Hagen. Kellogg had laughed cruelly at her as she wept and demanded her son back. In the dream, her rifle had suddenly disappeared out of her hands and Kellogg had advanced towards her, pistol raised. She knew she had no chance of surviving, but did the only action she could instinctively think of - she raced forward and lashed out with her fist. Next thing she knew, she heard a grunt as she opened her eyes - not knowing where she was for a moment - and finding Danse on the floor rubbing his jaw.

...Ohhhhh... _shit_.

Her own mouth dropped as she finally put the pieces together. "Oh God, Danse - I'm... I'm _so_ sorry..."

He shook his head and stood. "Don't be," he said gently. "I know it wasn't intentional." He regarded her silently for a moment. "Do you... want to talk about it?"

She untangled herself from the sheets and swung her legs over so they were hanging off the side of the bed. She felt like a total fool. One moment, Danse was basically telling her that he was proud of her and her progress as a soldier... the next she was crying in her sleep and _hitting_ him (intentionally or not) over a stupid dream. Her face reddened more at the ridicule she felt and she stared down at her feet.

 _'Some soldier_ _I'm _ _turning out to be...'_

She shook her head, still looking downward. "I just..." she trailed off for a moment, not quite sure what to say. "It was just a bad dream, is all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Danse opened his mouth and looked like he wanted to say something for a moment, then closed it and nodded after a few seconds. "As I said... not to worry." He looked over towards the window. "You should try to get some more sleep... it's not quite morning yet, and we have to head back to the Prydwen to report in to Elder Maxson later."

She shook her head again, finally looking up at him. "I... don't think I'm going to get much more sleep. If it's all the same... I'll just wait until you're ready to leave. I can go for a walk or something if you want to get some more sleep."

It was Danse's turn to shake his head. "No need... if you're sure you're ready, we can actually just start heading back now. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can work on our next assignment."

When Nora nodded, Danse climbed back into his power armor as she gathered their things and they headed out of the room together.

* * *

Back aboard the Prydwen, Elder Maxson listened intently as Danse and Nora gave the report of their findings with Dr. Amari at The Memory Den. Unbeknownst to the Elder, they hadn't given him _every_ detail, exactly... Nora had 'accidentally' forgotten to mention the ghoul mayor of Goodneighbor, or that she'd been aided more than once by a synth detective. It wasn't that she was _never_ going to tell him these things (...necessarily), but she was hoping to work them in gradually. She didn't want another reaction like Danse's had initially been, if he was any indicator of the typical Brotherhood thought process.

She'd also left out the memories of Kellogg shooting Nate, kidnapping Shaun, and her confronting Kellogg at Fort Hagen. They seemed... too personal to mention. The Elder didn't need to know about it - all he needed to know was their next lead. It was bad enough that _Danse_ had seen all of the memories and been witness to her having a nightmare about them... if Maxson thought she was too emotionally compromised, he might send someone _else_ to investigate the Institute.

Nora was _not_ about to let anyone else be in charge of getting her son back.

The omission of certain details wasn't lost on Danse - but he decided to let it go, at least for now. He wasn't crazy about hiding _anything_ from the Elder, but... the more important matter was moving forward and finding the Institute, and that was Maxson's main concern anyway. He sighed internally, hoping that the exclusion wouldn't blow up in his face later.

Arthur was silent for a moment when Knight Taylor had finished speaking, contemplating all of the information he'd just received.

"So... the Institute uses teleportation to move people in and out..." he shook his head. It was like something out of science-fiction. It definitely explained why countless expeditions by the Brotherhood to locate the Institute's entrance had ended up fruitless.

"We need to find this rogue Institute scientist, Virgil. To do that, we'll have to search for him in the Glowing Sea. It won't be an easy mission... the Glowing Sea obviously has many dangers, and we need to prep your suits of power armor to be sure they'll be able to endure that much radiation for an extended period of time. There's no telling how long you'll be there - and though power armor _normally_ wards off radioactivity, even _that_ would only get you so far before you'd be feeling the effects of radiation poisoning."

He glanced between the Paladin and the Knight, pausing as he _really_ examined them now. Though he could tell they were trying to hide it, they _both_ looked fatigued and a little... 'off'. Knight Taylor had slight circles under her eyes. She looked less like the 'woman stepped off of a magazine cover' from when they first met, to now more drawn and... troubled.

He frowned. Perhaps this trip to the Memory Den had been a little more taxing on her than she was letting on. She _was_ a recent recruit and wastelander, after all (somewhat) - maybe this was all too much for her.

He cleared his throat after a moment, settling his eyes on Nora. "Knight Taylor... I'm aware that you're still somewhat new to the Brotherhood of Steel. How are you... adjusting to everything so far?"

She blinked and straightened up, as if trying to look more lively. "Fine, Elder Maxson, sir. Eager for my next assignment."

...Arthur was not particularly convinced.

He raised an eyebrow and set his mouth in a firm line. "While I'm glad you were able to extract the information we needed from the Institute mercenary, I hope you're not pushing yourself past your limits. I know you're as eager to track down the Institute's location as _I_ am, but you're also no good to us if you're not able to perform to full capacity."

 _Damn_... this is exactly the sort of thing that Nora had been nervous about. She shook her head quickly. "No sir... I have no problem continuing as planned."

Arthur glanced over at Paladin Danse, who was staring back at him blankly. _Hmm_. Finally, he gave a slight nod.

"Very well... I expect that if you're ever not able to continue on - _either_ of you," he added, with a long glance to both of them, "- you will let me know at once."

They both nodded back at him, so he had no choice but to continue. "...It will take some time for Ingram to prep your suits of power armor for the increased radiation resistance, as well as the other harsh conditions of The Glowing Sea. In the meantime, I _do_ have another mission for you both."

He began to pace slightly back and forth as he talked, something that was becoming as much habit for him as it was to face the windows with his hands behind his back.

"Over the years, the Brotherhood has sent several recon teams to the Commonwealth. The last squad before Recon Squad Gladius - Recon Squad _Artemis_ , or Recon Team 429-Alpha - went in three years ago. They never reported back. Officially, they're missing - presumed dead."

 _Three years?_ Nora was a little surprised. "Was there a rescue mission?"

He shook his head. "No. The Brotherhood doesn't have the resources or the manpower to conduct a search like that. Everyone who signs up for a recon mission knows the risks. Our lives depend on our training, and on each other. But if a team is lost, we honor those that give theirs lives in the line of duty. We have a responsibility to find out what happened to them, if we can."

She frowned a little. She supposed she understood that, but still - they had all been gone for three whole years, and no one had _any_ idea what became of them? ...What might have happened if she hadn't gotten _Haylen's_ distress call? What might have become of Danse's team, Recon Squad Gladius? Would they have shared the same fate? She didn't really want to think about what might have been if she and Dogmeat hadn't been there to help...

"Their insertion point was in the hills near Malden. We need you both to survey the area, and establish a search pattern. Monitor your radio for distress signals - all recon teams are issued distress pulsers," he said, explaining to Nora more than Danse. "They put out a short range homing beacon. If we can acquire a signal, we should be able to trace it to its source."

He stopped pacing and looked at the two of them again. "Unfortunately, after three years, we're not 100% hopeful... you will find much. Do what you can, and report back with any and all findings." With that, he saluted them both, who returned the gesture.

"Ad victoriam. Dismissed."

* * *

Nora and Danse had tuned into her Pip-Boy's radio & searched the hills near Malden, as the Elder had suggested. They had eventually picked up a faint beeping, which grew louder and faster the closer they were getting to the distress signal. Keeping track of the distress signal strength, they were eventually led to what remained of a brick building. It wasn't just falling apart like all the other buildings in the area - it seemed to be surrounding a small crater in the ground.

Danse jogged over to it and surveyed the surroundings.

"An explosion tore this building apart. Some kind of high yield detonation. Look at the blast crater."

Nora came up behind him and looked around. She froze when she caught sight of what looked like a suit of power armor, half buried in the crater. There was another suit of power armor propped up against a nearby desk, but this one was incomplete, stripped to its frame, revealing a dead soldier still inside. The distress pulser was laying next to him.

Danse walked over to the power armor that was half buried in the ground. "It's Brotherhood power armor," he said. "Look, you can still make out the insignia. The recon team was here." He frowned as he stared at it for a moment. "The damage... it's _deliberate_. They set the fusion cores in their armor to overload. That's what caused the blast. But... _why_?" He looked over at the other suit of power armor containing the dead soldier. "Over here. Look."

Nora, meanwhile, was a little aghast. _'...Power armor can_ _do_ _that?'_

She walked over as Danse examined the soldier. He sighed sadly as he picked up the pulser and flicked a switch. The beeping from Nora's Pip-Boy stopped. He stared down at the soldier for a moment. A small glimpse of orange and white caught Nora's eye, and when she bent down to investigate, she spotted a holotape laying next to the soldier. She picked it up and stood slowly.

She and Danse looked up at each other for a moment, both unsure of what would be on the tape and not 100% sure they wanted to hear it, but... there was only one way to know what had happened to the team. She popped open the slot on her Pip-Boy, slid the tape inside, and pressed 'Play'.

" _...ambushed on the road. We're outnumbered, five to one! Varham, report!"_  
 _"Core's down to 5%!"_  
 _"We'll have to scuttle the armor. We can't let them have it!" (an explosion)_  
 _"...Varham!"_  
 _"Dammit! Astlin, set the self-destructs! Faris, fall back! We'll head for the old military base, then try to make it to our holdout. The code will be our call sign. All right, move! Move! Move!" (another explosion)_

They were both silent for a moment before Danse spoke up.

"...What a choice. With no armor and no supplies, their odds of survival were low. But that was the right decision. Technology _must_ be protected, no matter the cost." He looked up at Nora. "The recon team made it this far - let's try to follow their trail from here."

* * *

They followed the signal of another distress pulser to the National Guard Training Yard, taking out turrets and feral ghouls along the way. The signal strength of the Pip-Boy's beeping led Nora to another dead soldier in the corner of a room, this one a woman in a standard orange Brotherhood flight suit.

She heard Danse come up behind her in the doorway and pause.

"Wait, that's... Knight Astlin. She was in my company, years ago. ...Best marksman I ever saw." He sighed as Nora turned off the distress pulser and spotted another holotape. She popped it into her Pip-Boy, adding the previous one to her inventory as the tape began to play.

 _"Knight Tara Astlin. Brotherhood of Steel Recon Team 429-Alpha. Serial number 3431. It's been three hours since I set my distress pulser. There's been no word from the Paladin or Faris. Their objective was the satellite array on the coast. They may be out of range. My orders were to hold this position at all costs. The entire site has been overrun. The door won't last much longer. Paladin Brandis, sir… it's been an honor, sir."_

Danse's mouth set in a firm line.

"A soldier to the end... well done, Knight."

He shook his head sadly, more to himself than Nora. "...They should have fortified their camp, made it a proper outpost... but they must not have had time. And Astlin paid the price." He looked up at Nora again, a stony look on his face. "We've got another lead. Let's move out."

* * *

They followed the next distress signal to a satellite array nearby. There were a few makeshift wooden shelters built up in the metal walkways, and in one of them they found a man laying propped up against a wall, wearing a scribe's uniform like Haylen.

"...Field Scribe Faris. He was with the recon team." Danse said.

Another holotape was popped into Nora's Pip-Boy.

 _"This is Faris. It's been... two hours since the Paladin left. My leg... I can't stanch the bleeding. Bullet must've hit an artery. Brandis... if you get this... I hope you made it back to Astlin in time. There was_ _nothing _ _you could do for me. Get to the bunker up north. You'll survive. That's all that... (a grunt) ...all that matters…"_

Danse looked down at Scribe Faris. "They must have come to the satellite array for the comm system," he murmured. "Probably trying to send word back to the Prydwen... but they were ambushed. Faris was wounded, couldn't walk. They got a distress signal. And Brandis left him behind."

He grunted a little and shook his head.

"He broke the first rule of small-group tactics: stick together. _Always_ stick together. They all wound up alone. And they all got killed. _Damn it_." He sighed. "...That just leaves Brandis. He always was a survivor. But after all this time..." His eyes met Nora's.

"The tape mentioned a bunker. I think I know the one. It was part of my original mission brief. Let's move out."

She watched him go and hesitated for a moment as she looked back down at Scribe Fairs's body. She couldn't even imagine... knowing there was no hope, knowing you were _absolutely_ going to die soon and there was nothing that could be done about it, and leaving just one last message to the world.

A shiver went through her as she hurried after Danse.

* * *

Danse jogged up to the bunker and looked back at Nora. "Recon Bunker Theta. This is the holdout site. Stay vigilant."

She spotted a terminal outside the sealed bunker door and after accessing it, entered the recon team's call sign as the password. The door creaked open and she glanced at Danse, who nodded to her as he cautiously unholstered his rifle, just in case.

They both headed inside and froze as they spotted an older man hiding behind a table, pointing a Brotherhood laser rifle at them anxiously.

"Freeze!" the man yelled at them. "One more step and I'll... I'll... I'll blow your damn heads off!"

Danse's jaw dropped open in surprise. "...Paladin Brandis!"

The man - wearing a worn, black Brotherhood uniform, Brotherhood armor, and looking drawn and quite haggard - narrowed his eyes at both of them.

"...Who are you? Who sent you? How'd you get in here?"

Nora looked over at Danse wearily. "...Danse?"

He stepped forward as he holstered his rifle again, then held his hands up in front of him, not wanting to startle the Paladin. "It's Danse... Paladin Danse... don't you recognize me?"

Paladin Brandis's eyes widened a bit in recognition as he peered at the other soldier. "...Danse? No... no, no, no, that can't be. Why... why are you here?"

"I was dispatched to the Commonwealth on a recon mission, Paladin," Danse explained gently. "Just like yours."

Brandis looked between Danse and Nora (Nora a bit longer - which wasn't too surprising, considering she still wore her vault suit) and shook his head, confused.

"How did you find me? I've... I've been alone. All alone. For so long..."

Nora frowned sadly. She was starting to see a pattern in the men she spent time with, one she didn't like. _Was anyone happy in this time period?_ She stepped forward cautiously.

"We followed the distress beacons left by your team. Their holotapes led us here."

Brandis widened his eyes even more this time. "The others! What... what happened to them?"

She opened her mouth, but at first no sound came out. "They're... dead, Paladin. They didn't make it. I'm so sorry." She pulled out the holotags she had recovered from the bodies and stepped forward gingerly, her arm outstretched. "...I recovered their tags."

Brandis seemed to deflate at the news and looked down dejectedly, then looked up again at the holotags. He finally lowered his rifle, then stepped around the table to stand in front of her. "Thank you. This... this really means a lot to me." He collected the tags from her and shuffled uncomfortably.

"I... I tried to go back for them, you know. There was nothing I could do... not alone. But... I had hoped..." he sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. "You've both been through a lot to find me. I should... I should give you something."

Nora shook her head and held her hands up in front of her. "No, no, we couldn't possibly..."

He looked up at her again, his expression firmer. "I insist. I've collected a lot over the years. Technology. Odds and ends. If you see anything you want, take it."

She hesitated, then nodded at him, not wanting to seem insulting.

Danse cleared his throat gently. "Come back with us. You're still a member of the Brotherhood, Paladin."

Brandis look aghast. "What? No, no, I couldn't. Not after everything that's happened..."

Nora took another step forward and looked him square in the eyes. Time for her negotiating skills to be put to good use. "The Brotherhood needs you, Paladin. It's about time you reported in." She watched him contemplate the decision silently.

"I... can't," he murmured. "It's been too long. I... I wouldn't be of any use."

She smiled softly at him. "No one knows the Commonwealth better than you. We need your help." Sure, she knew _pre-war_ Boston... but this was a very different area now.

He shook his head, but she could see his resolve crumbling. "I've been here too long. I'm... I'm not myself. ...Would they still take me?"

 _'...All right. Time to bring out the 'big guns', so to speak.'_ She gently placed a hand on his arm. "The Brotherhood will honor the memory of your team. Shouldn't _you_ be the one to tell their story?"

He looked downward, considering this. "Unless I go back, their sacrifices... everything we went through... it'll be forgotten. I... I can't let that happen." He looked back up at her and nodded. "...I'll do it. For them. All right, I'll... I'll get my things, head to the airport. Thank you. Thank you for everything." He even smiled a little bit.

* * *

As Nora and Danse headed out of the bunker and began the journey back towards the Prydwen, Nora turned to Danse and stopped short when she saw him looking at her like... well... the only other time he had looked at her like _that_ was when she'd been gawking over her power armor for the first time. He was almost _beaming_ at her.

Her face flushed a little, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"...What?"

"You handled yourself well, Knight. I'm impressed."

She smiled for a moment, then looked back towards the bunker again. "...Will the Brotherhood take him back?"

Danse followed her gaze and shook his head a little. "Not like _that_. He'll be placed under observation until he's fit for duty again." He turned back towards her. "Still - his experience and knowledge of the Commonwealth make him an asset. He won't be turned away."

He clapped her on the back (while she held back a grunt - he was in his power armor after all, and she was still only in her vault suit. ... _Ouch_ ) and started walking again.

"Captain Kells will want to hear about this. Let's report in."

* * *

END NOTE:  
Poor Danse. He tries to do something nice, and gets clocked. ;-P  
Anyway, I feel like I skimmed over the 'Lost Patrol' quest a bit here at times... but again - I didn't want to get _too_ hung up on tiny details that would just drag the story/chapter out longer.

On the _other_ hand, I _did_ try to make the characters a little more emotional/affected by the quest, b/c I wasn't crazy about how things were handled in the game. I know Danse is a 'hardened soldier', but I don't believe he'd be totally unaffected by the mission. And I _definitely_ don't believe the _Sole Survivor_ would be unaffected by the mission, despite how the game portrayed it. Especially when telling Brandis that his team was all dead... the SS was basically like, "Yeah, they're dead. Sorry dude, but here's some holotags. Some you comin' back to the Brotherhood now?" I was kinda like, "Aw come on!" (lol)

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter... after this, things will definitely start getting a little AU. There will still be some events that mirror the game, like obviously the confrontation with the Institute and of course, 'Blind Betrayal' (...How can I not?). But these things are a ways off, and I have some fun scenes planned in the meantime.  
As always, comments and feedback are always very much appreciated! :-D


	9. Chapter 9 - A Confession

Arthur Maxson tossed the paperwork onto his desk and steepled his fingers as he thought. He'd finished reading Kells' report on the recon mission Paladin Danse and Knight Taylor had just returned from. Not only had they discovered what had happened to Recon Squad Artemis, and recovered the holotapes found on the scene... they had also located Paladin Brandis - alive - _and_ convinced him to return to the Brotherhood. _Knight Taylor_ had convinced him, Danse had mentioned to Kells.

The mission couldn't possibly have gone better. It seemed that Danse and Taylor made an excellent team. Danse had made a wise choice in recruiting Taylor to the Brotherhood.

...Hmm.

Arthur sat back in his chair, recalling Danse's initial report on his newest recruit: how she had heard Scribe Haylen's distress signal and - with seemingly little experience behind her - gone to their rescue, to aid in any way she could. How she had refused any compensation for her actions, other than a little ammo in the Cambridge Police Station. How she was invaluable to Danse in retrieving the deep range transmitter from Arc Jet. How Recon Squad Gladius wouldn't have been able to finally contact the Prydwen without her.

How she had run smaller missions for Haylen and Knight Rhys with precision and without complaint, while the recon team waited for the Prydwen to arrive in the Commonwealth. How she had returned to the police station promptly when she'd heard Danse's announcement on her radio, calling for all Brotherhood members to return. How her goals mirrored the Brotherhood's in wanting to take down the Institute once and for all.

...It was all very impressive.

And yet...

He rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. He didn't... really know what to make of Taylor. She certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting when he met her. While she'd always presented herself as respectful (...other than asking him why she wasn't being made a Paladin like Danse when they first spoke, even if it _was_ a joke), he couldn't help feeling like... there was more below the surface. Like she was more perceptive - or maybe more calculating - than she looked. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

There was _also_ the whole matter of her past - or rather, her _husband's_ past. Her husband had known his predecessor, Roger Maxson - the very founder of the Brotherhood of Steel. He had served under Roger's command briefly in the year 2077 - when the interrogations of the scientists at the Mariposa Military Base performing human FEV testing had started - and then he had been discharged home again before the executions at the base had begun. It... was an incredible coincidence.

And the Institute... what business did Knight Taylor have with the Institute? Yes, they had done terrible things in the Commonwealth - replacing wastelanders with abominable synths, ones that could mimic their counterpart _perfectly_. He had heard that the _only_ way to distinguish a synth from an actual human was to kill them, cut open the back of their head, and check to see if a synth component existed inside. It almost turned Arthur's stomach. And that wasn't including all the _other_ technology the Institute had access to... too much for them to handle.

He'd be _damned_ if he let another nuclear war happen on _his_ watch. Anyone with any morals would want to stop the Institute - 'The Commonwealth's Boogeyman', people were beginning to call it.

But... why was _Taylor_ so adamant about stopping the Institute? Arthur Maxson was _not_ a stupid man. He didn't believe for one moment that Taylor was set on destroying the Institute _purely_ for altruistic reasons. There was something else, he could _feel_ it... some other motivation she had that was pushing her forward. He didn't entirely know why, but... he was determined to figure out what it was.

He stood up from his desk and strode to the door of his chambers. When he poked his head out, he spotted a squire nearby.

"Squire Williams," he called. The young boy hurried over to him. "Find Knight Taylor and send her to me. I need to have a word with her." The squire nodded and saluted at Arthur, which he returned before heading back into his room.

* * *

He was sitting at his terminal, replying to some electronic mail on the Prydwen's internal network, when a knock came on his door.

"Come," he barked, not turning around to look at Knight Taylor as she stood in his doorway. After a minute or so, he finished up the mail he was working on and finally turned to face her. "Knight. Have a seat." He gestured to the table in the middle of his quarters. He watched her sit, then sat down across from her.

"I received the report Kells sent me about Recon Squad Artemis," he began. "You and Paladin Danse did an excellent job. Convincing Paladin Brandis to rejoin the Brotherhood was equally impressive."

"Thank you, sir." she said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Arthur stared at her for a moment. "Something... on your mind, Knight?"

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I just... didn't really know that you accepted children so young into the Brotherhood of Steel... let alone at _all_."

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "You mean Squire Williams? His parents are _both_ members of the Brotherhood, so it was only natural that he follow in their footsteps." He paused for a moment. _'...Does she think we send Squires out to battle with the other soldiers?'_

"Squires are not allowed to participate in combat operations," he added. "Instead, they perform errands and menial labor, occasionally participating in field training exercises."

She nodded, but didn't look wholly convinced. Something else still seemed to weigh on her mind, so he waited patiently for her to speak. When she realized he was waiting for her, she cleared her throat quietly.

"I just... it's just not something I'm really _used_ to. In... 'my time', kids went to school, played games... they didn't really _have_ the responsibilities they seem to now. They just... enjoyed being kids." She sighed and sat back in her chair. "We're not _in_ 'my time' anymore, I know that sir... it's just that sometimes I need to keep reminding myself of that."

He was silent for a moment. He couldn't imagine being cryogenically frozen for about 210 years, and then having to readjust to a completely different world than he was used to... especially the war-torn world that they currently lived in. Taylor must have had quite a shock when she left Vault 111 and discovered what the world had turned into - and then accomplishing all that she had in the short time she'd been out on _top_ of that.

He leaned forward slowly, resting his arms on the table as he studied her. His eyes hesitated on the gold band around one of her fingers. "...What happened to your husband?" he asked suddenly.

Taylor's eyes snapped immediately to his, clearly not expecting that line of questioning.

Normally Arthur didn't like to pry into his soldiers' personal lives - but the details surrounding Taylor's exit from the vault had been a little murky in Danse's report, and considering the unusual coincidence surrounding her husband and Arthur's predecessor...

"Nate, you'd said his name was?"

Her jaw fell open briefly, then she closed it again and nodded, purposely avoiding his eyes for once. She was silent for a minute or two, and when she spoke again, her voice was quiet.

"...I was the only survivor left."

He'd heard about the miscellaneous experiments that Vault-Tec had performed on many of its pre-war vaults and frowned. _What kind of horrors had this woman been through? Or her husband?_

"...What happened to the others?" he asked softly. He didn't want to push, but for some reason he felt like it was important to get this information out of her.

She looked up at him again hesitantly, and he could see the discomfort in her eyes. She seemed to be wrestling with something internally, and didn't answer him.

After a few moments, he sat back. "Knight... I'm trying to help you."

"I don't _need_ help," she shot back, a little too quickly. She closed her eyes when she realized how sharp she sounded and added a tense "... _Elder_."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. _So that's how it is._ Fine. Two could play at this game. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"...The Brotherhood of Steel means _everything_ to me, Knight Taylor. It's my whole life. I believe wholeheartedly in everything it stands for, and would defend it - and any of my brothers and sisters _in_ it - with my life, if need be." He leaned forward again, blue eyes piercing into her green ones. "...That includes _you_."

He stood up and placed his hands behind his back as he started pacing back and forth across the floor. "I don't take new recruits lightly. As I'm sure you've probably heard by now, we've had trouble with prior recruits, and I had to dismiss them. They clearly didn't have the Brotherhood's best interests at heart." He stopped pacing and stared down at her.

"I believe that _you_ do. Especially after your multiple successes in your missions under Paladin Danse's tutelage. _However_ \- " At this, he sat down again in his previous seat and leaned forward, his eyes boring into hers. "- I need to be able to _trust_ you, and not feel like you're keeping something important from me." He paused, taking another deep breath.

"...In Paladin Danse's report from when he recruited you, he mentioned how strongly you wanted to be a part of stopping the Institute once and for all. While our shared goals are ideal, I can't help feeling like there's more going on. If you want me to trust you, I need you to trust _me_. I need to know why you're so adamant about bringing the Institute down."

Knight Taylor had sat silently the whole time he'd been speaking, and now that he was waiting for her response, he could see the wheels in her head turning again. She chewed her bottom lip for a minute, then let out a long, heavy sigh and finally met his eyes.

"I... I have one condition," she finally said uncertainly.

Arthur crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Which is?"

She leaned forward in her chair, now _her_ eyes staring into _his_. "I need you to promise me... that despite what I'm about to tell you, when the times comes - you won't stop me from destroying the Institute. You won't prevent me from going."

Now his eyes widened, his brows shooting upwards. _'Stop her? Why would I_ _stop_ _her?'_

...He was certain that whatever she was about to tell him, it wasn't going to be good. In fact, he was pretty sure that if _this_ was her condition for opening up, he was going to _hate_ whatever it was she had to tell him. If what she had to say might, in _any_ way, not make him want to send her onwards to the Institute... did he even _want_ to hear it?

 _Yes_ , he decided after a moment of thought. Good or bad, he needed to know. Being in the dark about _any_ of his recruits was _not_ an option. He drew a sharp breath.

"As an Elder, I have to do what's best for the Brotherhood as a _whole_ , Knight. If there's anything that might compromise the safety of my soldiers... you _do_ understand that I cannot act on the will of one soldier alone." A shadow passed over her face, so he went on. "However... I _will_ promise that I will... _try_ to be understanding and act as fairly to you as I _can_."

Taylor seemed to weigh this over in her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment, a defeated look coming across her face.

"Okay... well..."

* * *

"When I exited Fort Hagen, the Prydwen was flying slowly over the Commonwealth, heading towards Boston Airport. I heard Paladin Danse's message over military frequency AF95, and... well... I suppose you know the rest from there."

Knight Taylor sat back in her chair, looking somewhat exhausted. She glanced up at Arthur, waiting for him to speak.

He just sat there for a long moment, a stony expression on his face, trying not to gape at the Knight. He took a deep breath and steepled his fingers again, taking all of her information in - and there was a _lot_ to take in.

Vault-Tec lying about the cryopods (claiming they were for 'decontamination'). Taylor waking in her pod, only to witness her husband murdered and infant son kidnapped by two Institute scientists and an Institute mercenary, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. Her being refrozen for... probably about 10 more years, it would seem (totaling about 210 years cryogenically frozen).

Waking once more, to find everyone in the vault - cryopods _and_ vault staff - deceased. Emerging into a horrifying new world. Discovering new leads in Diamond City (including finding out that her infant son was now mostly likely a boy of about 10, and that she had missed _all_ of those years with him while frozen), eventually directing her to Fort Hagen. Confronting the mercenary from the Institute, only to end in his death. Taking his 'neural interface', as Dr. Amari had called it, to The Memory Den for examination and more information as where to go next - the Glowing Sea, to find Dr. Virgil (but not before reliving her husband's murder and son's kidnapping all over again).

He didn't know what to say - he was at a total loss. It felt like a long time before he forced himself to speak again.

"Knight Taylor- "

"Elder Maxson," she interrupted, "I know that because of everything that's happened, it might seem like I run the risk of being 'emotionally compromised'. I can promise you, that _isn't_ the case. Yes, I can't tell you that having my husband murdered and my son kidnapped hasn't affected me at _all_ \- I'm only human, and it would be crazy to think that I'm completely unaffected."

"Knight Taylor- "

"But I'm one of your many soldiers, and I'm sure they see different kinds of loss all the time," she continued. "If _anything_ , my losses have and continue to only push me _forward_ , making me determined to see that the Institute gets what's coming to them."

" _Knight Taylor-_ "

"And I've come _this_ far, done _everything_ the Brotherhood has asked of me. _Please_ -" she started to look a little frantic. "-Don't take away my chance at finding my son and bringing justice to those who deserve it..."

" _Knight!_ "

She stopped short, looking contrite - her eyes pleading with him - as he sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. He was silent for a bit, then looked at her, a weary expression on his face.

"You're right... unfortunately, it _is_ common for Brotherhood soldiers to face loss. It is unavoidable - simply part of _being_ a soldier. And yes, you have performed admirably in all of your missions thus far - _despite_ what you have been through to get here. You have repeatedly shown good judgment, intelligence, loyalty, humility, a good sense of morals, kindness and compassion - all of this despite not having any prior military experience _yourself._ Because of this, I see _no_ reason to remove you from your normal assignments - for now." He frowned and leaned forward.

"However, there's never any telling what the future may hold. There may come a day in which, for one reason or another, you are _not_ able to perform your duties to your fullest potential. I hope that if that day comes, you will have the foresight to pull yourself aside and come forward to me with that knowledge, because I will _not_ have you endangering anyone's life unnecessarily over a personal vendetta - justified or not. Do I make myself clear?"

Relief settled over Knight Taylor's face. "Yes Elder Maxson. Thank you sir, very much."

He nodded. "And also, Knight - not all missions will directly involve the Institute. We also have to deal with super mutants, raiders, and feral ghouls on occasion. It's just as much a part of our job as the Institute is. I understand your passion for bringing them to justice - but like Fort Strong, sometimes other things _will_ have to come first. You need to understand that and _not_ argue if one of your superiors or myself assigns you such a mission."

She nodded back somberly.

" _That_ being said..." Arthur's face softened a little. "...I _am_ very sorry for your loss. Loss _es_. The Institute is beyond deplorable, and I _can_ swear to you that we will do everything possible to make sure they pay for all of their crimes against nature." His voice grew a little quieter. "...I _will_ do everything I can to help you get your son back."

Taylor stared at him from across the table briefly, then leaned forward and covered one of his hands with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, sir..." she said softly, her eyes beginning to moisten a little. "I... I won't let you - or Paladin Danse - down. I _swear_ it."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze back, not liking the slight heat he felt rushing to his face. "I'm sure you won't." He cleared his throat and released her hand once more.

"Well... if there's nothing else, you're dismissed, Knight. As I said before, it will take some time to prep your and Danse's power armor for the immense radiation in the Glowing Sea. In the meantime, feel free to take a little personal time, then report back to Kells or myself to see if there are any other missions that need to be completed while you wait. Ad victoriam."

They stood and both saluted each other, then Taylor headed out of his quarters as his eyes couldn't help watching her go.


	10. Chapter 10 - A Dance to Pass the Time

"There you are. What did Elder Maxson wish to see you about?"

Nora looked up from her mirelurk stew (glad for the distraction... this era's food left _much_ to be desired, compared to the food in _her_ time) to see Danse walking towards her in the dining area of the Prydwen, once again power armor-less. She swallowed her mouthful as he sat down across from her.

"He..." she paused and looked downward.

Danse's eyebrows raised a little after a moment. "Knight, what is it? You're... not in any kind of trouble, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that... he asked about my past." She looked up at him. "...About the vault."

His jaw clenched a little. "And... what did you tell him?"

"...Everything. Well... _nearly_ everything. I might have left out details about a certain Diamond City detective and his assistance thus far." He gave her a reproachful look and she crossed her arms. "Well what did you _want_ me to do, Danse? Do you remember _your_ reaction when you first saw Nick?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "You _know_ I still don't wholly approve of your relationship with that... _detective_ ," he added on at the last minute, seeing the look on her face.

"That's an argument for a whole _other_ day," she said. "but in the meantime, I thought it best to avoid the subject with him, at least for _now_."

He shook his head. "I highly doubt you will _ever_ change Maxson's mind on synths, Knight."

"And I will still continue to fight the synths that attack us from the Institute. Nick is different, though. Besides, I might have said the same thing about _you_ once, and yet Nick's still alive." She tilted her head at him, a somewhat smug look on her face.

" 'Nick' - as you call 'him' - is still 'alive' because if I _had_ shot him, I might have had to shoot that ghoul mayor as well... and I didn't need to have a whole _town_ of miscreants against us - and therefore the Brotherhood - _and_ fail our mission to obtain more intel from the Memory Den."

"Say what you will, Danse... but I'm willing to bet that under that orange uniform of yours, deep down, is a big ol' teddy bear." She smiled and winked at him.

He grumbled at that, but Nora could see the _tiniest_ bit of amusement in his eyes.

"Speaking of which," she said, changing the subject, "how are you doing out of your 'exoskeleton'? We have a few days off now, but it must be driving you crazy to not be clanking around everywhere while Proctor Ingram mods our power armor for the Glowing Sea."

He stared at her for a moment. Knight Taylor was definitely loosening up around him, evident by her more frequent teasing and poking fun at him. It was both a good thing _and_ bad... he'd have to keep an eye on it to make sure she didn't get _too_ comfortable around him and risk looking insubordinate - especially around her _and_ his superiors. She'd been careful _so_ far, but...

He shook his head. "It's... taking some getting used to. I feel much more comfortable _in_ it."

Nora wasn't too surprised to hear this - Danse seemed a bit uncomfortable just _sitting_ there in only his uniform and hood. She was thoughtful for a minute, then her face brightened as an idea hit her.

"Hey... you know, I _have_ another spare suit of power armor back at my place in Diamond City. It's a T-45, not a T-60, but... if it'll make you feel better, _you_ can have it."

He blinked in surprise. "...You have a 'place' in Diamond City?"

She nodded. "It's nothing spectacular... the mayor's secretary had sold it to me for a couple thousand caps. I'd had them saved up just in case, and figured it'd be good to have an extra place to 'hang my hat' in case I ever needed it. I haven't really done much with it... it's pretty much just a bed and some storage containers. But anyway... I keep my T-45 there. It's yours, if you want it."

Danse didn't know what to say. "I... couldn't take your extra suit Knight, it wouldn't be right."

Nora smiled and shook her head. "It's completely fine, Danse. I wear power armor when I _need_ to, but I move better without it. I prefer just wearing my vault suit and armor. Although... I did _finally_ just get a Brotherhood uniform of my own... I suppose it's time I actually start wearing it now. I guess I should retire this thing for a while." She looked down at her vault suit and frowned, lost in thought for a moment.

It only _just_ occurred to Danse that he had never actually seen her in anything else.

She shook her head, forcing herself out of her temporary reverie. "Besides... it's weird to not hear you coming from half a mile away anyway."

His mouth set in a firm line, and she couldn't help laughing. After that, a hint of a smile crossed his face.

"Well... we can't always be stealthy _and_ powerful." After a moment, he _did_ smile at her. "If you're sure... thank you, Knight. It would be most appreciated."

She nodded. "If you want, you could go with me to Diamond City tomorrow, since we both have a little free time now."

He considered this for a moment. On _one_ hand, he'd be traveling without any power armor, something he was _not_ used to and not very comfortable with. The Commonwealth could be a dangerous place. On the _other_ hand, Knight Taylor had traveled and been through so much thus far with _just_ her vault suit and some leather armor that looked like it badly needed replacing... if _she_ could do it, surely _he_ would be able to handle it for one day... right?

He agreed to make the trip with her - he _was_ her sponsor, after all.

"You might want to see Proctor Teagan about procuring some better armor though, Knight," he said, shooting her a cautious look. "You're no good to us full of bullet holes or missing a limb."

* * *

Nora stared down at the blue vault suit on her bed in the living quarters. She'd finally relented and put on her orange uniform. She'd been getting a little tired of some of the other Brotherhood members peering curiously at her out of the corner of their eyes and whispering when they thought she couldn't hear... things like 'vault dweller', 'frozen for two centuries', and 'only survivor'.

 _'Hmm... guess things in the Brotherhood don't stay hidden for long,'_ she thought somewhat bitterly.

Feeling like the oddity was getting a little old... maybe the uniform would help her fit in a bit better. She ran her hand over the fabric of the vault suit, reliving the memories she'd had in it... some good, but most bad. She couldn't allow herself to throw it away, though - like it or not, it almost seemed like an important part of her, one that she couldn't… _shouldn't_ just discard without care. _'Don't forget,'_ it seemed to say. _'Remember Nate… remember Shaun…'_

With a heavy sigh, she carefully folded the blue fabric and placed it gingerly in the footlocker at the foot of her bed, then headed off to the showers.

* * *

She sat at the weapons station in the power armor repair bay that night, making some slight modifications to _Righteous Authority_ , the laser rifle Danse had given her back after their first mission together at ArcJet Systems. He'd taught her a little bit about mods since then, and she hadn't been able to sleep, so she figured she'd tinker a little bit. The Prydwen was quiet (well... as quiet as it _could_ be), most of the other soldiers asleep or doing their nightly duties elsewhere. The only sound around her was the soft music coming from her Pip-Boy, courtesy of Diamond City radio.

Soft footsteps headed her way as a deep voice addressed her.

"Well now... wondered when I'd see you again."

She turned to see an older man with gray hair in a black Brotherhood uniform standing nearby. She paused, not sure if she'd seen him before - but he seemed to know _her_...

He sensed her hesitation and raised his eyebrows.

"What, even _you_ don't recognize me? ...Guess I _do_ look a little better than when we last met. Brandis. Paladin Brandis. You pulled me out of that bunker up north recently, remember?"

His hair - which had been long and dirty at Recon Bunker Theta - was now cropped short on the sides and a little longer on top, not unlike Elder Maxson's hairstyle. He definitely looked cleaner, and his beard had been trimmed as well.

Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Paladin Brandis!" She stood up and shook his hand, after wiping the grease off of hers. "I'm so sorry - I guess you do look a little... different."

" _Cleaner?_ " he asked with a slight smile. She looked a little apologetic and he shook his head. "Not to worry, it's the truth. I'll never take a nice hot shower for granted again."

That was for sure. When Nora had first boarded the Prydwen, she'd almost cried with relief when she'd found out it had hot showers - her first since she'd left Vault 111.

"Listen," he said. "I didn't have a chance to thank you properly before. I'm... not sure I still have a place here. I've been away for too long. Maybe I'm not cut out for the Brotherhood anymore." He sighed and looked down, then back up at her again. "...But I'll give it time. I owe it to you, and to my team. Thank you for giving me another chance."

She nodded and smiled at him. "You are more than welcome. Like you said, give it time. I'm sure it will get easier as more time goes on. The Brotherhood is lucky to have you back. Welcome home."

"Home..." the Paladin _'hmph'ed_ and shook his head. "Never did like this rustbucket. Oh, sure, the Prydwen's a fine ship - but put me in the field any day."

She chuckled, being reminded of something similar Danse had once told her: _'There's nothing better than being boots on the ground.'_

"Well now that I think about it," she said, "I don't think I ever actually had the chance to _officially_ introduce myself to you." She held out a hand to him. "Knight Nora Taylor."

He shook it and smiled softly. "A pleasure to meet you, Knight."

"Do you... know when you'll be back on missions?" she asked. He shook his head again.

"Cade won't clear me for duty yet. To think he's giving _me_ orders now." He let out a soft chuckle, then did a double-take as he noticed the gun Nora had been working on lying on the bench.

"...Is that..." He looked at her, then back at the gun again. "... _Danse's_ gun?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You recognize it?"

He nodded. "I may have been away from the Brotherhood for _three years_ , but I still know a good weapon when I see it. I also know Danse - he holds onto his weapons like a mother holds onto her child."

Nora winced before she could stop herself, as he went on.

"If he gave you _that_ , well... you must have made quite an impression on him."

"Uhmm... yeah…" she murmured, thrown off a little by his comment. "Well... he gave it to me after our first ever mission together, before I actually joined the Brotherhood. That wasn't too too long before I met you, actually."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then gestured for her to sit as he pulled up a nearby chair himself. "...You had a vault suit on when you entered the bunker with Danse... you came from a vault before you joined, right?" he asked, as Nora obeyed and sat back down beside the weapons bench.

She nodded and tried not to stiffen, already having a pretty good idea where this conversation was headed. "Vault 111, near Concord."

Brandis frowned. He vaguely remembered something he'd overheard one of the Initiates saying in the hallway earlier, something about a vault... and only _one_ survivor... there weren't any _other_ recent members of the Brotherhood that had come from a vault (that he knew of), and it was too much of a coincidence...

His mouth opened silently a moment, but he paused - not wanting to overstep any boundaries or ask too personal a question. He eventually cleared his throat.

"I... hope that's not the same vault I've heard some of the other soldiers talking about..."

Nora sighed and nodded. Well, no point in denying it.

"I'm not 100% sure what you may have heard, but... the inhabitants of Vault 111 were cryogenically frozen. We weren't told that's what the pods we entered were for... Vault-Tec had lied and told us they were for 'decontamination'. We were unfrozen later, when a couple scientists and a mercenary from the Institute came and opened my husband's pod. They tried to take my infant son out of his arms, but when he wouldn't give him up... they shot him in the chest and killed him. They stole my son and refroze us. I woke up again later, but... I was the only one that had survived the process. The others... I later found out the mercenary had orders from the Institute not to leave them alive. They asphyxiated when he sabotaged their life support systems to fail."

Her eyes had clouded over as she relived the whole experience in her mind - _again_ \- but when she made eye contact with Brandis once more, he looked nothing short of horrified.

"My God..." he whispered. He shook his head in disbelief, and then froze as a thought hit him and his eyes snapped back to Nora, an even _more_ aghast expression on his face. "Oh my God... and earlier, I said-"

"You didn't know," Nora said, holding up a hand to cut him off. "You had no _way_ of knowing. Please... it's all right."

He rubbed the back of his head, temporarily at a loss.

"You said you were frozen?" he asked tentatively. "...For... how long?"

She took a deep breath, as if that would soften the blow at all.

"When we were all initially put into the cryopods, the year was 2077." She paused for a moment. "...Saturday, October 23rd, 2077. The time was 9:47am... the reason why I know _that_ is because all the clocks I've come across in the wasteland are all stuck on that time -"

"- because that's what time the bombs dropped centuries ago." Brandis finished for her. His face had gone ashen. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "...You were frozen for about 210 years."

She nodded somberly.

"...And the Institute has your son?"

She nodded again and chewed her bottom lip. "But... he's not an infant anymore. Time passed between the time I was refrozen and the time I woke up again. I don't know for sure, but... I believe he'd be about 10 now."

His jaw hung open wordlessly. He eventually reached forward and gently took her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"I know words don't even come _close_ to easing the horrible things you've had to endure, but... I'm _so_ sorry for what you've been through. I know it's not the same, but I know how hard _any_ kind of loss can be, and..." he seemed to search for more words, but came up empty.

She gave his hand a slight squeeze back, understanding the sentiment.

His expression hardened a bit. "...If anyone can bring the Institute to justice, you can bet that Elder Maxson will find a way."

She nodded again and smiled softly. "I'll sure as hell do everything possible to help him try." She cleared her throat, suddenly wanting to change the subject. "...Do _you_ have any children, Paladin?"

His expression softened once more. "...A daughter. At the Citadel. She's a scribe there."

The 'Citadel'... it was about time she learned what that _was_ already. When she asked him about it, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh! Well... you've been frozen for so long, I suppose it's natural for you to _not_ know... it's the Brotherhood's headquarters in the Capital Wasteland. Er... I believe you called the Capital Wasteland... 'Washington D.C.' all that time ago."

Recognition flooded Nora's face. _'Ohhhh... of_ _course_ _... D.C., Capital..._ _now_ _it makes sense.'_

"Yes, I believe the Citadel was an important military building back in _your_ time," he continued. "Let's see, what did they call it back then... the... 'Pentagram'?"

Her jaw dropped in shock. "...The _Pentagon?_ You're telling me that the Brotherhood of Steel's headquarters... are in the PENTAGON."

He couldn't help smiling a little. "I... take it you're familiar with it."

She nodded. "In 'my day', it was headquarters to the U.S. Department of Defense. So... still military, just... a bit different." She paused for a moment as the song on her Pip-Boy changed to a slow melody, Diamond City radio suddenly playing 'Moonlight Serenade'. She gazed at Brandis thoughtfully for a minute, then stood up and held a hand out to him.

"...Come on."

He blinked and stared at her, not sure what she was referring to. His expression grew confused.

"...What?" he asked her after a couple moments.

She smiled, still holding out a hand. "Dance with me."

He did a double-take at her, then looked around him, almost as if to confirm no one else was around.

"...You want me to _what_?"

"Dance with me," she said again, as if she _wasn't_ asking him to do something completely random and strange.

He simply gawked at her in response. "...You can't be serious."

"I am _very_ serious," she said, as the corners of her mouth twitched a little. When she _still_ didn't move and Brandis had realized that she _wasn't_ kidding, he shook his head incredulously.

"Knight, this is... foolishness."

She smiled fully at that. "You know, an interesting woman once said, 'The purpose of life is to _live_ it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.' " While he seemed to mull that over in his head, she continued. "...You're right. It _is_ foolish. We're soldiers, and it probably _is_ a bit odd to share a slow dance at night in the Prydwen, when everyone else is probably asleep. But if you'll pardon my impudence sir, I'll be frank - we've had an _amazing_ amount of shit thrown at us _both_ lately, and I think it might do us both some good."

She wiggled her fingers at him as if to remind him that she was still holding out her hand. He seemed to be caving, but when he still hesitated, she poked a little further. "Come on, Paladin... if you're gonna be fighting with the other soldiers again, I need to make sure you can still move those dusty old bones of yours."

His eyes widened and he sputtered a little in protest. When he saw the impish grin on her face, his eyes narrowed as he stood up.

" _'Dusty old bones'?_ " he drawled as he took a step towards her. "...That's rich coming from someone technically over _four_ _times_ my age. Are you sure _you_ won't break a hip... 'granny'?"

Her smile faltered for a second - not expecting that kind of response from him - before she burst into peals of laughter.

Brandis couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as well as he gently slid an arm around her waist, the fingers of his other hand intertwining with hers as she rested her free hand on his corresponding shoulder. He chuckled softly and shook his head a little.

"...You're going to be a constant thorn in my side, aren't you Knight Taylor?" It was more of a statement than a question.

She grinned back at him as they began to sway slowly in time to the music.

"...I thought the best ones always are, sir?"

* * *

Danse had tried to read in his private quarters before going to bed, but felt too restless for sleep. He eventually gave up and headed towards the power armor repair bay to tune up his laser rifle for his trip to Diamond City tomorrow with Knight Taylor. He slowed his pace when he heard voices speaking, and as he got nearer to the bay, he blinked in surprise to see Paladin Brandis already there speaking with another Brotherhood soldier, one he didn't immediately recognize.

He started to turn back towards his room, but froze when he heard the voice of the woman Brandis with speaking with. He whirled around again. _Was that..._ he squinted, not believing his eyes.

 _' _...Knight Taylor?'__

Upon further inspection, Danse understood why he hadn't immediately recognized her - her hair was down for once instead of pinned up like he'd always seen, her straight honey-colored hair reaching down almost to her waist. ... _Had it_ _always been_ _that long?_ Also, instead of her usual vault suit, she was wearing a standard orange Brotherhood uniform. It seemed to fit her even better than her vault suit had, accentuating the curves of her body.

He felt his face heat slightly and shook his head, trying to rid it of thoughts he shouldn't even _remotely_ be having. Scolding himself, he looked back at them when he heard Taylor laugh and raised his eyebrows to see the two of them start dancing together. ...How Taylor always seemed to charm everyone she came across with such ease was beyond him. It seemed to be some kind of gift she had.

He couldn't help smiling a little as he watched them, happy to see a genuine smile on Paladin Brandis's face. It was the first Danse had seen since he & Taylor had discovered Brandis in Recon Bunker Theta. He slowly turned and headed back to his room.

Unbeknownst to Danse - _and_ Nora and Brandis - a pair of steel blue eyes was _also_ watching the pair dance with curiosity. They _also_ turned and headed in the opposite direction as the two soldiers continued to sway to the music, unaware of either of their audience members.

* * *

END NOTE:  
Fun Fact: This is actually one of the 1st scenes I ever thought up for this fic, before I wrote _any_ of the chapters. I don't remember what exactly made it pop into my head, but it kept nagging me and nagging me, and I finally thought it was too cute to ignore. Brandis and Nora are cute friends. And no, there will be NO romance there - theirs is more of an... 'uncle/niece' sort of relationship.

Speaking of romance, here is where things REALLY start to split for our two favorite Brotherhood men. Please comment and let me know which one you're rooting for!


	11. Chapter 11 - The Great Green Jewel

Nora sat in the Prydwen's dining area the following morning, eating her breakfast before she was going to check on Danse to see if he was ready to go. She leaned forward and closed her eyes as she took a deep inhale of the coffee in front of her. It might not have been as good as the coffee in _her_ time, but hey... coffee was still coffee.

Her eyes shot open again as she heard a loud _thunk_ and blinked in surprise at a grinning soldier with messy brown hair in an orange uniform who had plopped himself rather ungracefully into the seat across from her, a tray of food in front of him.

"Good morning!" he crowed enthusiastically. "You're Paladin Danse's newest recruit, Knight... Taylor, right?"

Nora gaped open-mouthed at the young man for a second, temporarily caught off-guard by the intrusion.

"..Uhhh..." She shook her head and nodded. "Right, sorry - yes..." She reflexively held a hand out. "Nora Taylor."

The soldier took it and shook vigorously.

"Knight Matthew Brooks, at your service."

She couldn't help the corner of her mouth turning up in mild amusement at this man who seemed to have boundless energy.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "Have you... been in the Brotherhood long?"

He stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth and shook his head.

"No no, not ath long as thome of these other guyth," he mumbled with his mouth full, "I wath actually there in the woom with you when Elder Maxthon gave hith speech about the Inthitute." He swallowed his food quickly and grinned, his speech clear once more.

"I remember you, though... a vault dweller. Your blue suit and Pip-Boy were a dead giveaway." He gestured to her left arm. "You were standing in the back, almost like you were hiding. I don't... think the Elder quite knew what to make of you."

He laughed and Nora stared at him incredulously. She didn't quite know what to make of this soldier, either. She opened her mouth to reply when she heard an annoyed voice from the other end of the room.

" _GEEZ_ , Brooks! Would you leave the poor woman alone? She just wants to eat her breakfast!" A woman who looked to be in her early 40s wearing a scribe uniform like Haylen's strode over to where they were sitting and smacked the back of one of his arms playfully.

Brooks shrugged and held his hands up. " _Whaat?_ I'm just being friendly." His head whipped back over to Nora without missing a beat, and she flinched a little at the speed. "So you came from Vault 111, right? I remember it from the back of your suit. I've heard Vault-Tec sometimes did different science experiments on some of the vaults... what did they do to _you_ guys?"

As Nora visibly stiffened, the other woman's eyes widened, and she smacked him again a little harder.

" _MATT!_ Be more rude? That's none of your business!" She looked over at Nora apologetically. "I'm _so_ sorry about him... he's a very good soldier, just a little thick in the head sometimes."

"I _can_ hear you, you know... I _am_ sitting right here." Brooks said dryly.

Nora couldn't help smiling a little as the scribe scowled at him.

"Good! Your hearing still works. Because I believe Paladin Williams still has you on latrine duty for one more day and wanted you to begin at 0900."

Brooks groaned and rolled his eyes upwards. He shoveled the rest of his breakfast in his mouth and got up from the chair.

"I'll thee you awound wayter, Nowa!" he called, still swallowing the remainder of his meal. "Nithe to meet you!" He dropped off his breakfast tray and jogged off.

The scribe looked back at Nora and shook her head as she rolled her eyes as well. "I'm sorry again about him. He really _is_ a good guy, I swear, he's just..." she paused, trying to think of the right description.

"...Energetic?" Nora volunteered. "Very... straightforward?"

"I was going to go for an occasionally loud-mouthed, outspoken pain in the ass," the scribe replied, to which Nora giggled, "but... I suppose your version sounds nicer." She held her hand out to Nora. "I'm sorry, how rude - I'm Scribe Grace Williams."

Nora shook her hand. "Knight Nora Taylor. Are you... related to the Paladin you mentioned earlier?" Grace smiled and nodded. "I'm his wife. He's Knight Brooks' sponsor."

"Wait..." Nora frowned a little as a thought hit her. "Williams... is your son a scribe here?"

Grace nodded again. "Jacob. Have you met him?"

Nora smiled a little as the memory from the other day flashed in her head. "He came to fetch me for a meeting with the Elder. He's a cute kid. Very quiet."

Grace chuckled. "He's a bit shy, soft-spoken. I wish he got along with the other squires better. Not that they _don't_ get along, mind you - but Jake doesn't have too many friends. I'm hoping that changes as more time goes on." She blinked and shook her head. "Oh my goodness... here I am talking your ear off when you're still trying to eat your breakfast." Her eyes drifted somewhere behind Nora for a moment, then returned back again. "I should get going anyway... Senior Scribe Neriah has me doing a lot of research, and it appears your sponsor has arrived."

Before Nora could turn around, she heard footsteps approaching behind her and a familiar deep voice.

"Scribe Williams. Good morning."

Nora smirked a tiny bit. She was beginning to think that Danse was just incapable of stealth no matter _what_ he wore. She turned and smiled at him, raising her coffee cup in greeting.

"Good morning, Paladin Danse," she heard Grace say.

Nora turned back to Grace. "It was nice to meet you... and Jacob, the other day." She chuckled softly. "... _And_ Knight Brooks, too."

Grace rolled her eyes again but smiled. "If he gives you any more lip, you let me know, you hear?" She waved at Nora & walked off.

Danse took a seat across from Nora and looked down at her breakfast tray.

"...Oatmeal?" he asked hesitantly. Nora made a slight face.

"I think it's gruel. ...You might wanna just stick with the coffee."

* * *

Danse and Nora finished their breakfast and headed out to the flight deck of the Prydwen. She'd purchased some more suitable armor from Proctor Teagan (who seemed all too happy to accommodate her when he saw the caps she produced). She'd also made sure she still had the vertibird signal grenades that Elder Maxson had given her, for the return back to the Prydwen later.

As they headed towards the vertibird docks, she spotted Elder Maxson and Lancer Captain Kells chatting further down. They both turned when they saw Danse and Nora approaching. Kells said one last thing to the Elder, who nodded at him, then headed back towards them, nodding at both as he passed. Elder Maxson walked towards them as well.

"Heading out for a bit, Paladin?" he asked Danse when he was closer.

Danse nodded and looked over at Nora. "We're going to resupply a bit and see if we can't gain any further intelligence on the Institute while we're out."

Nora couldn't help notice the corner of Maxson's mouth twitch the tiniest bit.

"If that is your wish," he said. "But don't forget, this is also your _leisure_ time, Danse. Make sure to use it wisely... you're allowed to enjoy it a _little_."

Danse nodded and saluted the Elder. "Yes sir. Ad victoriam."

Maxson repeated the gesture and looked over at Nora. "And you, Knight Taylor - are you... faring any better since we last spoke?"

Nora was silent for a quick moment, replaying bits and pieces of their previous conversation in her head.

 _"I would defend it - and any of my brothers and sisters_ _in_ _it - with my life, if need be. ...That includes_ _you_ _."  
"I need to be able to_ _trust you... ...If you want me to trust you, I need_ _you_ _to trust_ _me_ _._ _"  
"I will __try_ _to be understanding and act as fairly to you as I_ _can_ _."  
"...I __will_ _do everything I can to help you get your son back."_

To her surprise, she felt her face flushing a little bit and didn't know why. Maxson had only done his job as an Elder, trying to look out for one of his soldiers - one of several, if not _hundreds_. Why was this having _any_ kind of effect on her? ...Not that it _was_ having an effect on her... right?

She avoided his eyes and nodded. "Yes Elder, thank you."

Maxson paused for a moment, cast a quick glance at Danse out of the corner of his eye, then looked back at Nora. "Is... something troubling you, Knight?"

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times while he waited patiently. "I don't..." Finally, she sighed softly. "I've heard some of the other soldiers whispering in the halls of the Prydwen. Mentioning the vault I came from. The... circumstances of my time there. Some know what happened to me, while others don't. I don't really care what people say about me - people are going to talk, I understand that. It's just..."

She paused and slowly looked back up at Elder Maxson from beneath her long eyelashes.

"Every time I have to talk about it to someone, it just... makes me relive the whole thing in my mind over and over again." She shuddered a tiny bit and hoped he didn't notice, trying not to let visions of Nate getting shot, Shaun being kidnapped, or her confrontation with Kellogg cross her mind. It was bad enough she kept having the occasional nightmare about it... and had accidentally slugged Danse over it once when he tried to wake her up. She sighed again, a little heavier this time, as she unconsciously rubbed the back of her neck.

"I don't know what to do about it. I don't want any kind of special treatment, but..."

While she struggled to find the right words to say, a muscle seemed to clench slightly in the Elder's jaw. He nodded at her, his gaze penetrating hers.

"...I'll take care of it," he said.

She bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight uncomfortably. She looked downward once more. "Sir - I don't want you to think I'm... 'weak', or anything like that..."

He took a small step forward and help up a hand to stop her.

"Knight..." he said, causing Nora's eyes to move up to his again. She noticed his expression had softened a little, as well as his voice.

"...As I said... I'll take care of it."

She was rendered speechless temporarily and nodded in gratitude. "...Thank you, sir."

She and Elder Maxson stared at each other for a moment longer - at least, she _t_ _hought_ it was a moment, but everything else seemed to slowly fade into the background.

It was only when she heard a gentle clearing of a throat that her attention snapped back over to Danse, who suddenly seemed to find the vertibirds fascinating as he waited for the two of them to finish their exchange. She tried to ignore the heat rushing to her face again and turned back to Elder Maxson, who... looked a little thrown off himself for a second, before his face resumed the hardened expression he usually wore.

She took a deep breath and saluted him. "Ad victoriam, Elder."

He saluted back and nodded.

"Ad victoriam, Knight. Be careful out there. ... _Both_ of you," he quickly added, before he walked past them towards the door leading to the inner decks of the Prydwen.

* * *

Nora and Danse walked through the main gate of Diamond City, albeit with a few raised eyebrows from the city guards.

"So what... you're in the Brotherhood of Steel now?" One of them called out to Nora. "Hey - ask your friend if they got shuffleboard on that fancy ship."

Danse scowled as the guards laughed and started to turn around, but Nora quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him forward as she kept walking.

"We're supposed to be encouraging people to _like_ the Brotherhood, remember?" she said once out of earshot of the guards. She lowered her voice and tried to sound authoritative, in a poor imitation of Danse. " 'If we want to win the hearts and minds of the people of the Commonwealth-' "

"Is that supposed to be _me_?" Danse interrupted with raised eyebrows. He'd stopped short and shook his head at her. "That was _atrocious_ , Taylor."

Nora giggled and shrugged her shoulders as they kept walking.

Once they passed through the main arch into the city, Danse stopped for a moment to take in the view.

"It's a shame these people have to live in fear, sheltering in this old stadium when all those perfectly good buildings are still standing outside."

"Maybe," Nora conceded, "but you have to admire their ingenuity. You should have seen this place back when it was Fenway Park..." she smiled a little at the memory. "People would come from miles around just to watch the Boston Red Sox play baseball."

' _Nate used to take me to games occasionally...'_ she frowned sadly at the thought of him.

" 'Baseball'?" Danse questioned, stirring her out of her brief reverie. " 'Red Socks'? I'm not familiar with those terms."

Nora smiled again and chuckled. "Baseball's a sport that was played here... long ago. 'America's Pasttime', people used to call it. The Red Sox were the official team of Boston." She sighed and shook her head. "I doubt anyone even knows about it anymore. ...Except pre-war ghouls, maybe."

Danse frowned and narrowed his eyes a bit at that before he could catch himself, but stopped when Nora narrowed her own eyes back. Pursing her lips at him for a moment, she began walking again towards the city.

"Come on, Paladin... your 'rental' awaits."

 _'Hmph..._ _now_ _she chooses to use my title,'_ Danse thought somewhat sulkily as he followed her down the stairs.

There was certainly a lot to look at in Diamond City... the last time Nora was here, she hadn't had time to fully check it all out (she'd been understandably distracted trying to find Nick's office and searching Kellogg's house). She made a mental note to explore a little after she got Danse to her spare power armor.

After all... once she and Danse were prepped for the Glowing Sea, they needed to find Dr. Virgil, pump him for information, figure out how to find the Institute, and get inside to stop them once and for all _and_ rescue Shaun. Who knows how long it would be before they had any leisure time again? And that was assuming that Nora...

 _...that she made it through any of that at_ _all_.

She froze as the thought hit her. She didn't want to be pessimistic, but... better soldiers than her - _much_ better - had been killed over much _less_. If she didn't succeed... if the worst should happen before she made it to the Institute... what would happen to Shaun? Who would rescue him _then_?

Danse stopped beside her and frowned. "...Knight? What's wrong?" His concern grew when he saw the distraught look upon her face. He hesitated, then gently put a hand on her shoulder. "...Taylor? Are you all right, soldier?"

She whipped her head over to him and seemed to stare right through him for a moment. She blinked a few times as recognition finally crossed her face. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, we're almost there." She walked off ahead of him.

He didn't follow right away, not buying her act for one minute. It wasn't until she turned and called out, "You coming?" that he sighed and started walking after her again.

She fished around for her key and unlocked the door to Home Plate. She turned back to Danse before she pushed the door open. "Like I said... I really only use this place to sleep here when I need it and to store stuff, so... don't be too surprised if it's not impressive."

 _'Hmm... she wasn't kidding,'_ thought Danse when they both entered Home Plate and he'd looked around. He could see a bed 'upstairs' (if you could even _call_ the loft area that) through the cracks in between the planks of wood, a workbench against the wall, and around the corner was a bunch of tires and other junk strewn about. He raised an eyebrow slowly and looked over at Nora. She caught the expression on his face and scowled.

"Hey, I tried to warn you! This was a warehouse before I bought it. What do you want, I'm almost never here." She gestured around the corner. "...Well? There she is."

Danse walked around the corner a little further, before he spotted the power armor station with the T-45 power armor rigged up in it. He walked up to it slowly with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing a little as he inspected the armor closer. Not in the most _pristine_ condition... but considering how old it probably was (she'd told him how she'd recovered it when she rescued the Minutemen in Concord), she'd kept it looking pretty well. Not too rusted, not too many dents and dings in it... all in all, not bad.

"I'm not sure how it'll fit you... but it was kinda big on me and I never really adjusted it, so I think it'd be okay," she said as she stood next to him. "...Not bad for surviving a fight with a deathclaw, eh?"

She smiled as Danse's face whipped towards hers.

"A _deathclaw?_ " he asked in wonder.

She nodded and grinned even more. "In Concord. First time I'd ever seen one. Wearing _that_ , and armed with only a laser musket. Oh, and a 10mm pistol, but... obviously that wouldn't have done me much good, just pissed off the deathclaw more." She shook her head as she looked back at the power armor. "Stupid jerk scared the crap outta me... left a hell of a dent in my chest armor, too. Thank God I didn't crack a rib."

She ran a hand over the chest plate, pausing by a small ding, all that remained of the deathclaw's abuse to the suit. "Got a hell of a bruise, though. But... I'm just lucky it wasn't worse." She looked over at Danse. "And now, she's all yours." She held up a fusion core to him, having stashed one here for just such an occasion.

He took the core from her, then just stared at her.

She shifted uncomfortably after a moment and chuckled nervously at his scrutiny. "...What?"

He shook his head. "I just... can't believe you fought a deathclaw by yourself with only a laser musket... and sustained minimal injury. Seasoned Brotherhood soldiers armed with much more powerful weapons have _died_ doing so. The only other instance I've heard of something like that happening is with Elder Maxson."

She nodded, remembering the 'legend'. "Well... I wasn't 13, and I _did_ have the power armor that he _didn't_ , so I don't think it's _nearly_ as impressive. I'd just left Vault 111 right before that, and was still in shock about... _everything_. I just... got lucky."

He frowned sadly and nodded. It never ceased to amaze him how Nora had been forced to deal with _so_ much in such a short period of time... and yet, she just kept on 'rolling with the punches'. He really admired that about her. He blinked when she gave a gentle shove against his shoulder and smiled.

"Well? She's still waiting for you to try 'er on."

He looked to the suit and back to her again. "...Knight Taylor -"

" _Nora_ ," she interrupted. "You can call me by my first name, Danse. Though... I still don't know _yours_."

A strange expression crossed his face for a moment before he cleared his throat and became a bit more stern, like when she'd first met him.

"I don't believe that would be wholly appropriate, soldier. But... I _do_ thank you for the temporary use of your armor."

She raised her eyebrows, taken aback for a second, but nodded. "Whatever you say, Danse."

She stepped back to give him room as he inserted the fusion core into the back of the armor and twisted the valve to open the suit up. Once he climbed inside, he looked like his old self again. ...Not that he was an eyesore _out_ of armor, but he sure seemed happier being _in_ armor again. He jumped up and down in it a few times, clearly getting a feel for it. Despite his slightly gruff change in attitude a moment ago, he smiled at her once more, looking satisfied.

Nora couldn't help smiling back.

"...Better?" she asked.

"Much," he replied. "You know me - give me my laser rifle and a suit of power armor, and I feel like I can take on the world."

* * *

They went back outside and she locked up Home Plate. They had barely moved when they heard a female voice shout from a little ways away.

"BLUE!"

The corners of Nora's mouth had already started to turn upwards when she turned to face the source of the noise. Sure enough, Piper came jogging up to greet her. She stopped in front of Nora and blinked as she looked her up and down.

"Or... orange?" Piper said with raised eyebrows as she eyed Nora's uniform. "So Nick was right - you really _did_ join up with the Brotherhood of Steel. ...Naah, I personally still like 'Blue' better."

Nora saw Danse raise an eyebrow at her over Piper's shoulder.

 _' _Blue?'_ _ he mouthed silently.

Nora chuckled and leaned around Piper a little. "Because of my vault suit," she told him.

His mouth formed another silent 'ohh' in recognition as Piper turned to look at him.

"This is Paladin Danse," Nora told her. "He's my commanding officer."

Danse nodded politely at her. "Citizen."

Piper looked amused as Nora chuckled again at his propriety.

"Or," Piper said, "you can just call me 'Piper'. Piper Wright, 'Publick Occurences'." At Danse's blank stare, she rolled her eyes a little. "...The local newspaper here. Say - I bet a Brotherhood Paladin would make for a _great_ interview-"

"Forget it, Piper," Nora interrupted. "The Brotherhood's off limits."

Piper pouted at her and crossed her arms. "Well... you can't blame a girl for trying. So what brings you back to the 'Commonwealth's great green jewel'?"

Nora shrugged. "We had a little free time, figured we'd stock up, run some errands. I... don't suppose you've heard anything new about the Institute lately?"

Piper shook her head. "Nope... not since Nick came back from the Memory Den." Her eyes widened a little. "I heard about the Glowing Sea, though... it sounds pretty dangerous. I guess it's a good thing you guys have access to power armor, huh?"

She rapped her fist on the chest of Danse's armor a couple times, causing him to glance at Nora and raise his eyebrows again.

Nora chuckled as Piper gestured towards the center of the city.

"Well since you guys are here, you gotta at _least_ join me for some 'Power Noodles'," she said.

Nora looked over at Danse and smiled. "...It _is_ much better than the breakfast we had on the Prydwen."

"Come ooonnnn..." pleaded Piper. "My treat! Think of it as a 'thank you' for working to stop those Institute monsters."

Danse smiled slowly and shrugged. "...I suppose we _will_ need to eat to keep our energy up."

"That's the spirit!" Piper said, grinning. "Semper Fi, and... all that."

They walked over to the noodle stand and Piper waved at the Protectron behind the counter.

"Takahashi! How are ya, buddy?" She leaned over to Danse and lowered her voice a little. "Just say 'yes'... it's all he really understands."

The robot - wearing a chef's hat, which Danse found a little silly - turned towards the three of them.

 _"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"_

Danse raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What are those odd noises it's making?" he asked. "It sounds... a bit like an Asian language."

"I... think it's Chinese," Piper said.

"Japanese," Nora corrected. They both looked at her and she shrugged. "Hey, Nate was overseas for a short period of time. He had to learn a little. I'm not sure _exactly_ what he's saying, I just recognize the word 'what'."

Piper smiled and shook her head a little. "...What _else_ am I gonna learn about you, Blue?"

Nora grinned back at her, while Danse chose to ignore the 'he' the women had both chosen to use in referring to the Protectron.

* * *

A few bowls of noodles later (which, Danse had to concede, was _very_ satisfactory - surprising for a robot), Piper walked with Danse and Nora as they checked out the various Diamond City vendors. They stopped to purchase some ammo and a few fusion cores from Arturo. Danse was handing some caps to him when a man in a baseball uniform nearby caught Nora's attention.

She walked over to him slowly as he held a baseball bat on one shoulder, trying to attract the attention of the other passers-by.

"Remember, swatters will win you the game - the game of beating people up, that is!" he called out.

Nora raised an eyebrow. "What's a... 'swatter'?" she asked him. The man grinned at her.

"Haha, a rookie, eh? A swatter, my friend, is a Diamond City tradition. See, it used to be that this whole place was a stadium. And two teams would meet and play a game called 'baseball'."

 _'Yep, got it right so far,'_ she thought.

"One team would beat the other team to death with things called 'baseball bats'," the man continued, "and the best bats were called 'swatters'. True fact."

 _'... What?'_

She put a hand on one hip and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh _really_?" she drawled. "What kind of teams were there?"

The man went on to describe random teams with various ridiculous killing abilities. Piper and Danse made their way over to them while he was talking, and their eyes widened listening to his descriptions. "...you get the idea. It was a hell of a sport," the man finished.

"That's positively barbaric," Danse uttered, surprised that Nora had spoken so highly of the activity earlier. _'_ _What kind of people_ _were_ _these citizens before the war?'_

Nora couldn't take any more. She rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. "Hey dumbass - that's _not_ how baseball was played."

Piper and Danse looked over at her as the man sneered skeptically. "That right, Little Miss Smarty-Pants? If _you're_ such an expert, how do _you_ think it was played?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It was 'America's Pasttime'. A sport that united families on warm summer days." She sighed softly before continuing. "And it _wasn't_ violent... mostly. There were balls, strikes, three bases, and home runs. You kept score by how many runners made it to home plate."

"Wait... _that's_ what baseball was like?" Piper asked, sounding impressed. "Really? Sounds almost... elegant."

"That sounds ideal," agreed Danse, feeling relief at Nora's description of the game. "It's a shame it was so long ago."

The man ' _hmph_ 'ed. "I like _my_ version better."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Moe."

He scowled at Piper as Nora's eye caught sight of something behind him. She picked up the object gingerly - a baseball, but it had some wires and tech sticking out of it. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. She looked up at Moe with an expression on her face somewhere between disbelief and horror.

"...You make _grenades_ out of these things?!"

He flinched a little at the tone in her voice and shrugged, trying to play it off cool. "Hey... it's all part of the sport-"

"No, it's not," she interrupted. "It's _really_ not."

"Alright alright, calm down - I got plenty of regular ones too if ya want," he said hurriedly, turning and holding up a normal baseball. "I _do_ respect a good baseball, ya know."

It was now Nora's turn to ' _hmph_ ' as she grabbed a fistful of caps and shoved it at him.

He smiled (albeit a little nervously) and tipped his hat at her after tossing her the ball. "Come back if ya ever need more!"

Piper couldn't help sensing that Moe was happy to see Nora go as she followed her away, Danse bringing up the rear.

"So you actually _bought_ one of those?" she asked her. "What for?"

Nora stopped a bit away from the vendor, her back turned away from Piper as she stared down at the ball in her hand. "...As a reminder," she said, "of... different times." Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "...Happier times."

Piper's mouth fell open as she looked at Nora sadly. "...Blue..." she murmured after a moment.

"Hey, is Nick still in his office?" Nora asked quickly, turning to face Piper as she packed away the baseball. "Danse and I should really get going soon, and I don't want to leave without at least saying 'hi'."

Piper was taken a little aback with her rapid change of subject. She glanced over at Danse for a second, who looked at her with a sympathetic expression that seemed to read, _'...Yeah... she does that.'_ She looked back at Nora. "Uhh... yeah, he should still be there."

"Great," Nora said. "Thanks for the noodles, Piper. Next time, I'll treat _you_. Let us know if you hear anything new, okay?" She smiled at the reporter, who didn't buy the act for a second. Piper sighed, but smiled softly at her friend.

"Okay, Blue. You can count on it."

As Nora headed towards Nick's office, Piper looked back at Danse, a concerned expression on her face.

"Hey - I know we just met and all, but... look after her, will you?"

Danse stared at Nora, then nodded. "Well... I _am_ her commanding officer. It's my duty to guide her-"

" _No_ , Danse," Piper said, sounding a little exasperated. "I mean... _really_ look after her. Okay? Please?"

He paused and looked back at Nora again. He was silent for a moment, then nodded again.

"...Absolutely. You have my word, Piper."

* * *

END NOTE:  
And so... the pairing starts to emerge. It'll be a slow burn, but ohhhh will it pay off. ;-) (And of course, for fans rooting for the 'other guy', you _will_ get your time. ...In another fic, much later. Lol)  
For the record, I'm not a huge baseball fan. I'm not a huge fan of _any_ sport, really... but I figured Nora would be a little nostalgic of the 'good ol' days'. Boston people LOVE those 'Sox', LOL.

Also, I hope I wrote Piper okay. I never used her a ton as a companion (someone _else_ almost always took that spot, heehee), so I did the best I could. :-)


	12. Chapter 12 - A Visitor in Sanctuary

NOTE: This chapter starts w/ Arthur's POV (b/c I can't resist doing those from time to time), before jumping back to Nora/Danse. It takes place before they leave the Prydwen for Diamond City (and his thoughts on seeing Nora w/ Brandis), and continues on from there. Just an FYI so you guys won't be confused w/ the story timeline. :-)

* * *

Arthur hadn't been able to sleep that night, feeling restless. He supposed it wasn't _too_ surprising... between trying to take down the Institute, keeping an eye on raider gangs, and trying to rid the Commonwealth of super mutant filth - as _well_ as looking after and ensuring the well-being of each and every one of his brothers and sisters in steel - it wasn't as if he ever had an end to his responsibilities.

He dressed in his usual garb and went for a stroll around the Prydwen - something that usually helped clear his head _just_ enough for him to be able to sleep. As he walked, his mind drifted off to his earlier conversation with Knight Taylor. He'd finally convinced her to let her walls down a little, to trust him with the information about her... past history.

He'd been horrified to find out _just_ how much she'd actually been through before joining up with the Brotherhood. How she hadn't _yet_ become emotionally compromised with her missions, he wasn't quite sure. It was amazing that she'd kept pushing forward - a lesser person might have accepted defeat long ago. He had to admit, he admired her tenacity and strength. It reminded him of... someone _else_ he used to know.

Although... just because she hadn't lost any kind of control _yet_ didn't mean she wouldn't in the _future_. He'd warned her to come to him if she felt this was happening, but... he'd have to keep an eye on her - just in case she was too far gone to see it herself.

He'd expressed remorse for her losses and told her he would do everything he could to help her get her son back from the Institute. When she had reached forward to give his hand a small squeeze in gratitude...

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

 _'...This is pure foolishness,'_ a stern voice in his head reprimanded him. _'Y_ _ou're fatigued, you're not thinking clearly... she's just another one of your soldiers,_ _nothing_ _more.'_

...But the way she stared at him sometimes with those green eyes of hers-

 _'NOTHING MORE,'_ the voice repeated. _'She's just grateful for a little kindness in this world. After all she's been through so far, can you blame her? She probably looks at_ _anyone_ _who treats her kindly like that. She probably looks at Danse like that all the time.'_

At that, he stopped short and frowned. The thought of that _shouldn't_ have bothered him, but... it _did_. And it bothered him that it bothered him. He grunted and shook his head as he resumed walking, feeling even more restless than he did before.

He heard some soft music and voices coming from below him in the power armor repair bay. He cast a quick glance at a couple soldiers - an older man and a young woman - sitting by the weapons workbench and chatting. He ceased walking for a moment when he heard his name being mentioned by the male soldier.

"...If anyone can bring the Institute to justice, you can bet that Elder Maxson will find a way."

Brandis. He recognized the deeper voice of the Paladin that had been recently discovered and convinced to return to the Brotherhood by Danse and Taylor. Arthur started to continue on his way again, but froze when he heard another familiar voice reply to Brandis.

"I'll sure as hell do everything possible to help him try."

...He knew that voice. He'd only been talking to the _owner_ of that voice earlier that very day.

He peered down at the two soldiers again and stared at Knight Taylor. He now saw why he hadn't recognized her at first: her blonde hair - which he'd only ever seen pinned up and away from her face - was now laying down past her shoulders, so long it almost reached her waist. Instead of her usual blue vault suit, she had finally donned one of the Brotherhood's orange uniforms. And... it fit her well.

... _Very_ well. It accentuated her curves even better than her vault suit had.

He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly going dry.

The pair of soldiers continued their banter, but he didn't seem to hear their words any more. He blinked when Taylor stood up after a little bit and held her hand out to Brandis.

His eyes narrowed a little, confused. _What was she doing?_

Brandis looked equally confused for a moment, then glanced around them. He looked back disbelievingly at Taylor before he huffed at something she said and stood up himself. Whatever he'd said to Taylor next must have hit her the right way, because she burst into laughter.

Arthur had never heard her laugh before. He disliked the way it made him feel - sounding almost like music to him, or like... some other kind of wonderful noise he didn't even know he'd been missing. His eyes narrowed a little more when Brandis's arm went around Nora's waist, before he realized what they were doing.

 _'...Dancing? They're_ _dancing_ _? In the middle of the Prydwen?'_

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

 _'...What a strange thing to do. No wonder why Brandis was looking at her strangely.'_

His expression softened as he watched them for a minute. He had known Paladin Brandis for many years now... and in all that time, he had _never_ seen the man smile the way he was smiling at Taylor right now. It... gave him a strange feeling inside. One he wasn't quite sure he liked, or was comfortable with.

He forced himself to pull away from the scene, heading back towards his quarters to try and sleep once more.

 _'...She's just another one of your soldiers..._ _nothing _ _more...'_

* * *

He stood on the flight deck with Captain Kells the next day, discussing the miscellaneous day-to-day goings-on with the Brotherhood. They both turned when they saw Paladin Danse and Knight Taylor approaching the vertibirds. Taylor had her hair pinned up in its normal fashion again, and her uniform was now covered by Brotherhood armor - most likely courtesy of Proctor Teagan, Arthur surmised.

Kells said one last thing to Arthur, who nodded at him absently (a bit distracted by the oncoming company), then Kells headed back towards the entrance of the Prydwen, nodding at both Danse and Taylor as he passed them. Arthur walked towards them as well.

"Heading out for a bit, Paladin?" he asked Danse. Danse nodded and looked over at Taylor.

"We're going to resupply a bit and see if we can't gain any further intelligence on the Institute while we're out."

The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched the tiniest bit, and he had to fight not to smirk. Danse was one of the _few_ soldiers he knew that would use his _recreational_ time to still try and do as much work as possible.

"If that is your wish," Arthur said. "But don't forget, this is also your _leisure_ time, Danse. Make sure to use it wisely... you're allowed to enjoy it a _little_."

Danse nodded and saluted the Elder. "Yes sir. Ad victoriam."

Arthur repeated the gesture and looked over at Taylor.

"And you, Knight Taylor - are you... faring any better since we last spoke?" He tried to ignore the image in his head of Brandis's arm wrapped around her waist from last night, even if it _had_ been completely innocent.

Taylor was silent for a moment. She avoided his eyes and nodded. "Yes Elder, thank you."

Arthur paused, a little concerned at her demeanor. He cast a quick glance at Danse out of the corner of his eye, then looked back at Nora.

"Is... something troubling you, Knight?" _'You seemed more carefree last night...'_

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times while Arthur waited patiently. "I don't..." Finally, she sighed softly. "I've heard some of the other soldiers whispering in the halls of the Prydwen. Mentioning the vault I came from. ...The circumstances of my time there. Some know what happened to me, while others don't. I don't really care what people say about me - people are going to talk, I understand that. It's just..."

She paused and slowly looked back up at Arthur from beneath her long eyelashes. He noticed a slightly haunted look in her eyes.

"Every time I have to talk about it to someone, it just... makes me relive the whole thing in my mind over and over again." She shuddered a little and he frowned, bothered by her discomfort. She sighed again, a little heavier this time, as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know what to do about it. I don't want any kind of special treatment, but..."

While she seemed to struggle to find the right words, Arthur felt a muscle clench slightly in his jaw. He nodded at her, his gaze penetrating hers.

"...I'll take care of it," he said.

She bit her bottom lip and shifted her weight uncomfortably, looking downward once more. "Sir - I don't want you to think I'm... 'weak', or anything like that..."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, feeling disbelief. _'...She's afraid I'll think she's_ _weak_ _? Truly? After everything she's been through?'_

Just the opposite... he thought her anything _but_. In fact, _most_ of the soldiers in the Brotherhood seemed to have some kind of 'emotional baggage' they usually hid away - it just kind of came with the job.

He took a small step forward and help up a hand to stop her mid-sentence, his voice softening a little.

"Knight..." he said, causing her eyes to move up to his again. "...As I said... I'll take care of it."

Taylor seemed speechless temporarily and nodded in gratitude. "...Thank you, sir."

She and Arthur continued to stare at each other for a moment longer. He was unable to tear his gaze away, transfixed by her eyes on his. That strange feeling he'd had from last night resurfaced, despite his best effort to shake it away.

He jumped a little when he heard a throat clearing gently and remembered that Danse was still there beside them, albeit suddenly paying more attention to the vertibirds nearby. Arthur fought the heat rising to his face and tried to resume the hardened expression he usually wore.

Taylor looked a little thrown off for a quick moment herself, before she took a deep breath and saluted him. "Ad victoriam, Elder."

He saluted back and nodded. "Ad victoriam, Knight. Be careful out there. ... _Both_ of you," he quickly added, when he realized the slight implication in what he'd said. He walked past them towards the door leading to the inner decks of the Prydwen, closing his eyes for a moment in frustration.

 _'Stop being ridiculous,'_ he chastised himself. _'...She's just another one of your soldiers..._ _nothing_ _more.'_

* * *

Nora had made sure Danse saw her enter Nick's office in Diamond City before she stepped through the doorway, just to make sure he didn't get lost. She nodded at Ellie, Nick's secretary, before walking to the back of the room towards Nick.

He looked up from his desk when he heard her approaching, and she swore his yellow eyes suddenly seemed to glow just a little bit brighter when he spotted her.

"Nora!" he smiled and stood up to greet her.

She smiled back and couldn't resist wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.

"It's good to see you again, Nick."

He hugged her back, but stiffened a little when Danse entered his office not long after Nora. Things between the two of them were still tense at best... reinforced when Danse saw Nora hugging the synth and frowned, trying not to scowl.

"...Detective," Danse said tersely with a nod.

"Paladin," replied Nick.

Nora rolled her eyes at the two of them and tried to move things forward. "How've you been since we last saw you?"

Nick shrugged and smiled at her again. "You know me, can't complain. No news is sometimes _good_ news." He frowned and looked concerned. "How... have _you_ been, kid? You doin' all right?"

She smiled softly and shrugged back at him. "Things are... fine. Nothing new, just running some errands while our power armor gets prepped for the Glowing Sea. I figured we'd stop by Sanctuary next, see how Preston is doing." She blinked as she realized she hadn't mentioned that to Danse and turned towards him. "If... that's okay with you?"

He nodded back at her. She'd gone out of her way to get him her spare power armor... he was hard-pressed to deny such a simple request from her right now. He felt like it was the least he could do for her.

She turned back towards Nick. "We're going to get going before it gets too late... trying to cover as much ground as possible. I just wanted to check in on you before we go."

Nick smiled once more and patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks for stopping by," he said. "...Be careful with the Glowing Sea. There isn't a lot that survived out there, but... that doesn't make it any less dangerous. You know where to find me if you need anything."

She nodded at him as she and Danse left the detective agency once more.

* * *

A short while later, the Brotherhood vertibird touched down on the ground a little bit outside of Sanctuary. Nora nodded her thanks at the pilot as she and Danse exited and headed towards the bridge before the settlement's entrance.

Danse hadn't been 100% keen on using a vertibird signal grenade instead of simply _walking_ to Sanctuary... he didn't want to abuse the grenades and use up Brotherhood resources (like vertibird fuel). But... he supposed it was better than walking half the day to the settlement, and besides - the sooner they did what they needed to here, the sooner they could head back to the Prydwen. He figured that made it all worth it.

As they walked through Sanctuary's main gate, Nora perked up as she heard a familiar barking coming towards them. She grinned when the german shepherd bounded towards her and she knelt to greet him.

"Dogmeat!" She held out her arms and threw them around the canine as he jumped up on her. He licked her face happily, tail wagging like crazy. She laughed as she was knocked backwards, Dogmeat continuing his joyful assault on her. "I know, I know... I missed you too, boy."

Danse's face leaned into view, looking down at her in amusement. He couldn't help chuckling softly himself after a couple seconds.

Dogmeat looked at up him and cocked his head curiously as Nora rose once more.

"Nice to see you again, 'mutt'," Danse said, to which Dogmeat gave a playful little bark in response.

"General! You're back!"

They both turned to see Preston Garvey coming up the road to greet them.

Danse's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Nora. "...'General'? What does he mean, _'General'?_ "

Nora's face turned blank. "Uhhh..."

Preston caught up to them and looked at Danse, a little confused. "The leader of the Minutemen has _always_ held the rank of General."

Danse's gaze had shifted to Preston while he was speaking, but snapped back over to Nora so fast she almost flinched. "The leader of the Minutemen?" he asked incredulously.

Meanwhile, Preston looked Nora over up and down and raised his eyebrows. "...You joined the _Brotherhood of Steel_?"

She had to use all of her energy not to facepalm at that very moment. She took a deep breath, deciding to handle this like ripping off a band-aid: as quick and 'easy' as possible.

"Preston, this is my commanding officer, Paladin Danse. Danse, this is Colonel Preston Garvey, of the Commonwealth Minutemen. Yes, Preston - I joined the Brotherhood. Yes, Danse - before I met you I was made General of the Minutemen when I rescued Preston and some other settlers from Concord. I know what you guys must think of each other. Trust me - I've heard it _all_ before from _multiple_ sides. Nothing personal, but I don't want to hear it right now. Right _now_ , I have other things on my mind."

She kept switching from looking sternly at Danse to looking sternly at Preston as she talked, and continued on.

"I know the Brotherhood and the Minutemen have differing opinions on things sometimes, and you don't always handle things the same way. But our main end goal right now is still the same - the end of the Institute. That's one of the most important things we can _do_ for the Commonwealth. In the meantime, we're all also trying to rid the place of feral ghouls, raiders, super mutants, and destructive Institute synths. The last thing we need right now is more useless squabbling between 'who's right' and 'who's wrong' dividing us further apart. Let's just all work together to make things happen, and we can worry about playing 'cowboys and indians' later. Okay?"

Danse pursed his lips as he remained silent, and Preston stared at her open-mouthed for a minute, having never heard Nora speak so much in one sitting before. Eventually, he sighed softly and nodded at her.

"...I hope you know what you're doing, General. You seem to trust in the good intentions of the Brotherhood a lot more than I do. One day, you might have to choose between them and us. I hope it never comes to that."

"Indeed," Danse said hotly, glaring at Preston.

" _Enough_ , 'boys'," grumbled Nora. Dogmeat barked quietly and Nora took the opportunity to smirk a little. "See? He agrees with me too."

Danse rolled his eyes, while Preston fought to keep a slight smile from sneaking onto his face.

"...If that dog is your _best_ backup in a dispute," a familiar hoarse voice called out, "then you might need to rethink your argument."

The three of them turned to see a smirking John Hancock casually striding across the bridge to Sanctuary.

Nora's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the ghoul. "... _Hancock_?"

Danse groaned internally. _'First the synth detective, then the Colonel of the Minutemen, and_ _now_ _the ghoul mayor of Goodneighbor?'_ ...It was almost too much for him in one day.

Hancock walked up to the three of them and tipped his tricorn hat at Nora.

She gaped at him for a moment. "No offense meant, Hancock, but... what are _you_ doing here? Can you just... 'leave' Goodneighbor? Aren't you the _mayor_?"

Hancock laughed dryly. "Hey, the mayor's still the mayor, whether he's 'in residence' or not. I've walked out of there plenty of times - keeps me honest. Can't let power get to my head... that's not what being in charge of Goodneighbor's about. Goodneighbor is about doing your _own_ thing. If I don't leave every once and a while, the power's gonna change me. Can't have that."

 _'Hmph... some mayor,'_ Danse thought dryly.

Hancock's expression then became serious. "All banter aside though... I need to talk to you and 'crew cut' here." He jerked a thumb back over at Danse, who grunted at him. "Diamond City doesn't allow ghouls inside-" he paused to grumble for a second, "-but I heard you guys were out and about, and thought maybe you might come here." He then looked at Nora cautiously. "I'd... heard from Valentine before that this is where your old 'stomping grounds' were."

She stood silently for a moment, curious as to what this could be regarding, before nodding. "Come on, let's go to my place - we can all sit and talk about what's on your mind." She turned to look at Preston.

"I'll check in with you later, okay?"

Preston nodded and headed off to scout the settlement again while she led the other two men (and dog) down the road towards her old house.

As she approached, a slight whirring noise was heard as a Mr. Handy robot exited the building and turned towards the group.

"Mum!" it exclaimed with a male British accent. "How lovely to see you again!"

 _'...And_ _now_ _there's a Mr. Handy robot. What else?'_ Danse thought, almost shaking his head. He was starting to think that Knight Taylor kept absolutely the _oddest_ company of 'friends' and acquaintances he'd ever seen. At times like this, he was beginning to wonder if he even really knew her at _all._ There was apparently a lot about her she'd either kept to herself, or he just hadn't been aware of.

The robot hovered over to her and waved its... 'arms' (for lack of a better word) in the air, seemingly excited. "It's been too long!" It exclaimed. "I say, any luck finding Master Shaun yet? Oh, I _do_ miss him so!"

Nora had smiled softly when she'd first seen the robot, but froze at the mention of her son. "...Not yet, Codsworth," she said. "We're... still working on it." She turned to Danse and Hancock.

"Guys, this is Codsworth. He's the Mr. Handy robot Nate - my husband-" she added, glancing at Hancock, "-and I owned before... uh... before we entered the vault." She turned back to Codsworth.

"Codsworth, this is Paladin Danse and John Hancock. Hancock's the mayor of Goodneighbor, Danse's in the Brotherhood of Steel with me."

"Charmed, sirs. It's refreshing to see a bit of military and local order within the Commonwealth. Surely with your resources, we'll be able to find young Shaun!"

Hancock looked over at Nora and raised an eyebrow (or... where an eyebrow _would_ have been), clearly missing something.

She shook a hand dismissively. "It's... a long story," she said. She looked back at Codsworth and patted his metal casing.

"Good to see you again, Codsworth."

"Indeed, mum!" he said cheerily, as he floated past them to circle Sanctuary for a bit.

She led the men into the house and gestured for them to have a seat in - well... what _used_ to be the living room.

Danse looked around as Nora pulled another couple chairs over to the worn couch. _'Well... it beats her place in Diamond City, I'll say that.'_

He reluctantly went to the corner of the room to exit his borrowed power armor in order to sit down in one of the chairs while Hancock had a seat on the couch. He understood allowances had to be made in order to maintain the armor's strength and integrity, but... having to sit down or bend over while wearing the armor was near impossible. As much as he hated not being _in_ armor, it did make _wearing_ it a pain in the neck sometimes.

Once they were all seated, Nora looked at Hancock. "So... what's this all about?" she asked him. "Is... there some kind of problem? You had to travel quite a bit from Goodneighbor just to get here."

Hancock nodded at the two of them. "I know you guys went to the Memory Den with Nick to see Dr. Amari not too long ago. Something about... trying to extract some kind of memories from a dead guy's brain?"

Nora nodded, not really wanting to recollect her experience inside the memory lounger and Kellogg's memories.

"Well... a little while after you three had left, some strange guy went to the Memory Den. Started asking Amari all kinds of questions. ...Odd questions. Specifics about the memory loungers - how they worked, what exactly they were capable of doing..." He paused, then stared at Nora. "...And then he asked about _you_."

Her eyebrows shot up and she looked over at Danse, who appeared just as surprised.

"... _Me?_ " she asked.

Hancock nodded again. "Who you were... what you were doing there... trying to get as much information about you - _and_ the tin can over there - as he could. As much information about _anything_ as he could."

She was thunderstruck for a moment. A feeling of dread and uneasiness washed over her, and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. ...Who would be asking about _her?_ Or _Danse?_ And _why?_

Hancock went on again. "Amari had already given him the basics about the memory loungers _before_ he started asking about you two, but only what she tells _anyone_ that would come in wanting to use them - nothing _too_ specific about the technology or anything. Naturally, she didn't tell this guy _jack shit_ about you two _or_ Nick. Claimed 'client confidentiality' and all that." He waved a hand in the air dismissively. "But obviously... I felt like it was something you might wanna know." He looked over at Danse. "Especially where technology is kind of your gang's 'forte' and such."

Danse didn't really care for the Brotherhood being referred to as a 'gang', _especially_ from Hancock, but under the circumstances he let it slide.

"What did this man look like?" he asked Hancock.

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, this guy wasn't stupid. Covered head to toe, like raiders sometimes are... but I've met my fair share of raiders and other thugs coming and going through Goodneighbor, and this guy was _no_ raider. Amari said he seemed _way_ too intelligent to be a raider."

Nora was silent, taking all of this information in but not knowing what to say. She glanced at Danse, and they both just stared at each other for a few moments. Finally, Danse sighed heavily.

"...We need to tell Elder Maxson," he said.

Nora nodded and looked over at Hancock. "Thanks for keeping us informed, John. You'll let us know if the guy comes back, or anything else unusual happens?"

Danse wanted to scoff. _'...Unusual for_ _Goodneighbor_ _? Someone probably gets robbed or stabbed there on a daily basis.'_

Hancock nodded. "You can count on it, sister." He stood from the couch, and Nora walked with him over to the doorway of the house. He turned to her and smirked.

"Incidentally... if you ever need a good-looking ghoul to watch your back, let me know."

Nora was pretty sure she heard a snort come from the living room behind her, but ignored it as she shook Hancock's hand and watched him head back down the street.

She turned back to Danse, who had retreated to the corner to get into the power armor again.

"There's just a couple more things I want to check on in Sanctuary, but after that we can head back to the Prydwen," she said. "Let me just grab a couple things here."

Danse nodded and watched her head into the other room, then looked around the house absently. It wasn't very furnished, and wasn't in terrific shape - but what house _was_ anymore?

As his eyes wandered around, they caught sight of a couple framed photographs and what looked like a small album still sitting on the mantelpiece. When he moved in to inspect the photographs closer, his eyes widened when he recognized the woman _in_ them. Was that...

 _' _Knight Taylor?'__

In one of them, she was holding a baby in her arms, a man standing beside her with his arms around her. She looked... less thin. Less drawn. ...So... _happy_. Even happier than when he'd spotted her dancing with Brandis.

The man next to her... where had he seen him before? As he was trying to figure it out, his eyes wandered to the photograph next to that one. ...A wedding photograph, clearly, by the looks of it. There was the man again, wearing a tuxedo with his arms once more wrapped around Nora, who looked... _beautiful_. His face flushed a little bit. Not that she wasn't normally attractive, but she looked positively _radiant_ in her photo with her wedding dress on, her dark blonde hair in soft curls hanging down around her face.

...Of _course_. Danse felt stupid that it hadn't hit him earlier.

The man in the photos - this was Nate _._ Knight Taylor's husband. ... _Former_ husband. The man he'd seen in Kellogg's memory at the Memory Den... being shot to death, before his infant son was ripped from his arms, while Taylor had screamed and cried from her cryopod, helpless to do anything.

He frowned and felt his chest tighten a little. The Institute... it had taken _everything_ away from her. Ripped her away from her family, this life, this house...

... _This_ house?

He looked up and whipped his head around the room again. ... _This_ house.

 _' _My God...'__ he thought, as it dawned on him...This was... this had been... Taylor's home. Where she had lived with Nate, and her son Shaun, and Codsworth... over 200 years ago. When they had fled to Vault 111 when the bombs began dropping. When they had believed that Vault-Tec would keep them safe, that they would survive - not have their lives utterly destroyed.

He looked back at the photographs, so lost in thought that he didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him.

"It's still hard to believe sometimes..." Nora said quietly beside him.

Danse jumped a little, shaken out of his thoughts, and looked over at her. She was looking at the photographs with a lost expression on her face.

"...There's still some days I think I'll wake up and find out it was all a bad dream... that I'll be here, and Nate will be beside me, and Shaun in his crib, and things will be as they used to be, before..." she trailed off as she looked downward and sighed. "Those days... those days when I wake up and wish things were different... are getting less and less now."

Danse was speechless. He had faced loss in his _own_ life - _more_ than once - and _still_ didn't know what to say to her to help her through hers. It never got any easier.

He finally put a metal hand on her shoulder gently and gave it a little squeeze (trying not to squeeze too hard, since he had his armor on).

"...We'll make them pay," he said softly. "Those bastards from the Institute... we won't let them get away with this. We _will_ take them down, however long it takes... I won't rest until we do. Neither will Elder Maxson. I swear it to you."

She looked up at him and didn't say anything for a moment, her eyes starting to glass over a little. Without any warning she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Danse's midsection (as best she could around the power armor) and rested her head against his chest.

He froze for a moment, not used to this kind of interaction from... well, _anyone_. His face reddened a little as, after another minute, he slowly wrapped his arms back around her.

She slowly let him go after another few minutes and cleared her throat bashfully, avoiding his eyes.

"Danse... thank you," she said softly.

He nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He looked back at the photos on the mantlepiece and then settled his eyes on the small album beside them.

"Did you... want to take these with you?" he asked quietly, noticing she had a small bag packed with her.

She shook her head slowly, a sad smile crossing her face. "This life that I have now... I have to make the best of it. I can't go back, I can't change the past, I can _never_ change what's happened... I can only go forward. I _have_ to go forward. I have to stop the Institute and find Shaun. ...For Nate. It's what he would want me to do."

She picked up the album and opened it, flipping through the pages and photographs inside in no particular order. A couple photos of her and Nate on vacation... holidays spent with other family members long gone... photos of Nate and other soldiers he'd met while still in the army (he'd looked so handsome in his uniform)...

She stopped randomly on one photo and was about to close the album, when something made her pause. She did a double-take at the photo and brought it closer to her face, squinting a little as she examined it. It was Nate standing with a bunch of other soldiers of different ranks in uniform. They were all standing outside what looked to be some sort of military base. Nora read the caption at the bottom of the photo and gasped.

 _Mariposa Military Base, California - 2077_

"Taylor?" she heard Danse ask, concern in his voice. "...What is it?"

She examined the other soldiers in the photo, not having to search long for what she was looking for. The higher-ranking soldier standing next to Nate...

Nora felt her throat go dry.

She could see the resemblance. ...She knew those eyes _anywhere_. They were the very same eyes that seemed to pierce into hers every time he looked at her.

...The same eyes that had bored into hers just earlier _that morning_.

...Nate was standing _right_ next to Roger freaking Maxson - the future founder of the Brotherhood of Steel.

* * *

END NOTES:

\- I'll just be blunt: I really didn't want the Minutemen to be a part of this fic. I was never super into them in the game (doing the bare minimum of their quests), and they just aren't relevant to the story I want to tell. I _tried_ to write more of them into this chapter, having Danse  & Preston argue about it a bit... but I just hated what I wrote & felt like it just didn't fit in with everything else. It felt very forced. So, I took it out. The Minutemen are going to be pretty 'glossed over' in this fic. Again: it's not me trying to be lazy, it's me trying not to cram EVERY little thing into my story, even if I feel like it doesn't fit (this might go for the Railroad too... not 100% sure yet). If any of you don't like this, you have my sincere apologies. I hope the rest of the fic makes up for any shortcomings. {3

\- Everyone who writes about it seems to handle the F!SS's grieving process w/ Nate differently, in terms of how _much_ she grieves, _how_ she grieves, and for _how long_. I tried to handle it in a way where she's _not_ unaffected by it, but knows she can't change anything and (reluctantly) tries to move on/make it up to Nate by promising to find Shaun. I hope I portrayed this in a believable way (more than the game, LOL) that wasn't too much like, 'Oh well... next thing - Maxson Booty!' (...although... could you _blame_ her? ;-D ).


	13. Chapter 13 - Trying to Move Forward

...Nate was standing right next to Roger freaking Maxson - the future founder of the Brotherhood of Steel.

Nora was so lost in her surprise that she didn't even hear Danse at first. It wasn't until she felt a metal hand on her shoulder that she remembered he was still with her.

"Knight?" he asked again. "What's wrong?"

She took the photograph out of the album and slowly handed it to him. He took it from her gently and stared down at it for a moment, his eyes scanning the picture. He eventually looked back up at her, his eyes widening.

"...Is that..."

"Nate... standing next to Roger Maxson," Nora said softly. Danse looked awestruck.

"... _The_ Roger Maxson?"

She nodded, and he looked back down at the photo again. He could see the resemblance between Roger Maxson and the current Elder... they had the same eyes, the same commanding appearance, the same stance that seemed to demand respect. Danse already knew about the amazing coincidence with Nora's husband and Elder Maxson's ancestor... but to actually see the two of them together - to see someone so influential, who lived over _200 years ago_ , and have the other man's wife standing _right_ next to him right _now_... well... there weren't really words for that sort of thing.

He handed the photo back to her, at a loss. She stared at it for a few more moments, then placed the album back on the mantelpiece as she slid the photo into her bag with the other things she packed. She looked back at Danse, who was watching her silently.

"Well..." she said hesitantly, "...I guess we should get going. I just need to check in on a few things, and then we can use a signal grenade to call a vertibird to take us back to the Prydwen."

* * *

Nora made a few quick rounds in Sanctuary to check on the settlers there, Danse trailing behind her. She poked her head into the doorway of one house, giving a quick greeting to the people resting there, when suddenly a ghoul popped his head around the corner at the sound of her voice.

Danse recognized him as the ghoul from Goodneighbor, the one Nora had identified as the Vault-Tec salesman that had signed her and her family up for Vault 111 that fateful day over 200 years ago. Danse frowned, but then fought to keep his expression neutral for Nora's sake.

The ghoul's face lit up when he saw Nora.

"You... came to visit!" he said in his scratchy voice. "I... I almost thought you wouldn't."

She grinned as she stepped into the house. "Hey, you made it! Of course I'd come to see you. How have you been?"

His expression faded a little. "Things are... better. I'm not quite sure I totally fit in here... still trying to find my place in the world, but... I'm more than happy for the opportunity to try."

Nora was quiet for a moment. "Well... now that you're back here in Sanctuary, how would you like a job?"

His blackened eyes widened. "A job? F-for me? Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah... we're always trying to expand here, build upon the settlement. Right now the only trader we get here is Trashcan Carla, and well... she's not exactly the friendliest woman in the world. I think your... sales experience... could be a great asset."

The ghoul smiled, his face lighting up once more. "You do? Well that's... that's great! I won't let you down! I'll take that job, and I'll show you what a fully accredited Vault-Tec Representative can really do!"

She smiled again and patted him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit! I'm glad to hear you say that."

She and Danse headed back out of the house, and Nora turned to an older woman sitting in a chair on the deck.

"Mama Murphy... how've you been doing?" she asked.

The woman slowly looked up at Nora, and Danse was immediately struck by two things: how frail the woman looked, and the cloudiness that seemed to cover her eyes.

Mama Murphy's eyes widened at her. "Oh... it's _you_ , kid... been wondering when you'd show again." Her eyes slid over to peer at Danse, and he grew uneasy as her expression changed to one of... concern. "Ohh... and _he's_ with you too..." She sighed softly and shook her head. "...The three of you have a rough ride ahead of you, I'm afraid. A _very_ rough ride."

Nora looked over at Danse, confused. She'd never brought him here or even _mentioned_ him to anyone in Sanctuary before. She looked back at Mama Murphy, having a delayed reaction to her words.

"Wait... _three_ of us?"

"So much pain..." the woman went on, still shaking her head. "...so much uncertainty. _So_ much can go wrong." She stopped shaking her head and looked up at Nora. "If you succeed, it will mean great changes ahead. But if you fail..." she frowned and looked away, a nervous expression crossing her face. "...the whole Commonwealth will suffer. ...Maybe _worse_."

Danse and Nora stared open-mouthed at the woman.

"...Succeed in _what_?" Nora wondered out loud. _'...Is she talking about the 'Glowing Sea'? Or does she mean... something else?'_

She suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Mama Murphy... have you been _using_ again? You _know_ that stuff could kill you!"

The woman chuckled a little. "You know 'The Sight', kid... it don't work so well without chems."

Danse narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He'd heard a little about 'The Sight' in passing here & there over the years - people claiming some sort of 'clairvoyance' - but he didn't really believe in it. It seemed like a bunch of nonsense, frankly. And especially with this woman mentioning chems... probably the ravings of an unsound mind.

Nora sighed, frustrated. "I don't know where you got them from, but you really need to lay off of them. They're not good for your heart... they're not good for _any_ part of you, really."

Mama Murphy waved a hand dismissively. "Life is short, kid... ain't too much left around for me these days anyway." Her expression grew somber once more.

"But seriously - don't believe everything you _think_ you see - remember who the _real_ enemy is. Help will come find you from the past. Know that _what_ you are -" she looked straight at Danse now "- does not define _who_ you are." He raised an eyebrow questioningly and looked over at Nora. She was looking at the woman with a troubled expression on her face.

"And _most_ importantly..." Mama Murphy returned her gaze back to Nora, her expression more serious now. "...You _have_ to trust him, kid. Even if you don't like - even if you _hate_ \- the things he says or does sometimes."

Nora's jaw dropped a little bit, as Danse looked a little offended.

"I _do_ trust Danse," she said, "with my life."

Danse stared at her, a strange expression on his face. Mama Murphy shook her head, her eyes starting to squint.

"Not _him_..."

The woman rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily as she closed her eyes. When she reopened them, her eyes looked less cloudy, more clear.

"Ooh... I'm gonna be feelin' _that_ for a while," she grunted. Nora reached into her bag, pulled out a can of purified water, pulled the top off, then handed it to her.

"Please don't overdo it," Nora said, frowning. Mama Murphy nodded and waved a hand at her again as she took the can with her other hand.

"Yeah yeah, I gotcha kid. I'll try to be good, I promise." She regarded Nora for a moment, then shook her head a little as she chuckled. "You know, you vault dwellers... you have a funny way of making history - over and over and over again."

Nora paused, not quite sure what she meant by that, but looked over to Danse.

"There's... _one_ more thing I need to do, and then I swear we can go."

When he nodded back, she started off down the street.

Danse began to follow, but froze when he heard the old woman address him.

"...Paladin."

He turned to face her, eyebrows raised in surprise. She studied him for a brief moment, then the slightest of smiles appeared on her face.

"That thing you wanted to talk to her about? ...No time like the present."

"...How-?" Danse stared at the woman agape for a moment, then heard Nora call him.

"Danse! You comin'?"

He looked to Nora, then back at the old woman one final time before he nodded a farewell and strode after Nora.

* * *

Danse grew confused as he followed her, wondering where she was leading him. They were heading away from Sanctuary, walking towards the woods - or so it seemed. He wanted to ask Nora about it, but she appeared... focused. He decided to just follow her lead.

After reaching the top of a hill, he looked around at the area. There really wasn't much up here... there was a giant metal circle covering most of the ground, and a small trailer off to the side. As he inspected the circle closer, he noticed a large gear painted inside it, and writing in the very center of the gear: _Vault 111_.

He stiffened and looked over at Nora. She'd entered the smaller trailer and seemed to be looking down at something, before she came back out and slowly headed towards the middle of the circle.

He opened his mouth, but it took him another moment to speak.

"Taylor... this is..."

She didn't say anything, simply nodded, her face blank. He paused, unsure if she wanted him to follow her.

"Do you... want me to come with you?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded at him. "Would you... please? I don't... I don't want to go in alone."

He nodded and stood next to her, unsure of what to expect. He almost jumped when he suddenly heard a loud grinding of gears, the ground they were standing on starting to sink below of the surface of the earth. He realized this was an elevator entrance, and she must have hit some button in the trailer to activate it.

He couldn't help feeling uneasy as they descended, thinking of Nora making this same journey for the first time over 200 years ago. He couldn't even imagine what she must have been feeling at that moment: thinking the world was coming to an end, not knowing if she or her family would survive, and even if they _did_ \- would they ever see the light of day again?

After several seconds, the elevator finally stopped below ground. He followed her off of it and through the entrance to Vault 111.

The vault itself wasn't very big, so it didn't take her long to get where she was headed. As she entered a large room, he stopped short, recognizing his surroundings from Kellogg's memory in the Memory Den. Cryopods lined the walls on either side of the room. He watched as she passed most of them, stopping to face one near the end of the row.

He entered the room slowly, feeling apprehensive. He'd seen all this before and wasn't eager to see it in person. His gaze shifted from side to side as he slowly passed the other pods, seeing the frozen bodies preserved inside - some pressed against their glass doors in their attempts to escape in their final moments. It turned his stomach.

He finally reached the pod Nora was facing and stopped beside her, looking reluctantly at the man inside. He recognized Nate from both the Memory Den and the photographs back on her mantelpiece. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

He looked over at her, whose eyes were slowly filling up with tears. He immediately felt even _more_ uncomfortable, as if he were intruding on a private moment. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could.

"...Take as long as you need, soldier. I'll be right outside." He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, before he turned and headed back out of the room to wait for her.

Nora nodded absently at him as he turned and headed out. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm as she viewed Nate behind his cold glass coffin. She was silent for what felt like a long time, before she spoke quietly, her quaking voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn't... mean for any of this to happen. If I had my way, of course you'd still be alive." She looked downward, getting lost in thought. "I... I feel like I'm barely squeaking by sometimes. I don't really know... how to handle all this. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm trying to do things the way _you_ probably would have wanted me to... I hope you'd be proud of me." She stared at Nate, wishing so much that she could see his warm brown eyes upon her green ones again... see his loving smile... feel his strong arms around her for one last embrace. A couple tears started running down her cheeks.

"That bastard who did this to you... I got him, sweetheart. I made him pay for what he did. Shaun is still out there, taken by the Institute... and he's older now. Maybe around 10." She frowned bitterly, her tears flowing freely now. "...They robbed me of those years with him. ...They robbed _us_. ...I won't let them get away with taking him away from us. I'll make _them_ pay too. ...They _all_ will." Her hands balled into fists at her sides, and she felt herself shaking. "...I promise you. I won't rest until I get him back."

She paused and sighed heavily, taking a moment to wipe away her tears. "At least... I'm not completely alone here. I've met some... very interesting people. They've all helped me in different ways. I think you'd like them." She talked briefly about them: Nick, Piper, Preston... even Hancock...

"...And then there's Danse, and the Brotherhood of Steel." She paused, then looked up at him. "When you were in the army, you served under Captain Roger Maxson briefly, remember?" She blinked and shook her head, feeling stupid for asking a question requiring any kind of response. "Anyway, after the... bombs dropped, he founded the Brotherhood of Steel. They... try to make sure the mistakes of the past don't happen again. And now I'm a Knight in the Brotherhood. ...Like _you_ might have been. Captain Maxson's descendant, Arthur, is the Elder of the Eastern chapter. ...How is _that_ for a coincidence."

At the mention of the current Elder, a strange feeling flashed through Nora for a quick moment - and she absolutely hated herself for it. She dug her fingernails into her palms, as if the punishment would ease her conscience any (...which it didn't). She sighed and continued on.

"I... think you and Danse would have gotten along really well. He's been, well... he's been really great. He's a little gruff, and sometimes he takes things a _little_ too seriously, but... deep down, he's a good man. He's taught me a lot so far. And he's definitely one hell of a soldier." She smiled softly. "...Like _you_ were. ...I'm lucky to have him as my commanding officer. ...And my friend, I think."

She paused again, not 100% sure what else to say. She stared at the cryopod containing her husband for a moment, then reached over and flipped the switch to open it. She stared at his body hesitantly, as if trying to commit everything about it to memory. She didn't know when she'd be back here again... and if the worst should happen to her in the 'Glowing Sea', or while trying to take on the Institute...

Her eyes froze on the bullet wound on his chest, and she felt her eyes tear up again.

"...I would give _anything_ to change what happened to you... to us. ...But I can't. I can't change the past... I can only go _forward_. I _have_ to go forward now. For Shaun." She stepped forward, placing her hands on Nate's frozen chest. She leaned towards him and placed a soft kiss on each of his cheeks, her tears rolling off of her face and onto his. She kissed his forehead, and then placed one last kiss onto his frozen lips.

"...I love you, sweetheart," she sobbed quietly. "I _always_ will. Forever. ...I'll find Shaun, no matter _what_ it takes. I swear it to you."

She stepped back and closed the cryopod once more, then wrapped her arms around her midsection, willing herself to pull herself together before she headed out of the room back to Danse.

* * *

Danse was facing away from the doorway, but turned around when he heard footsteps and saw Nora leaving the room. He frowned when he saw the look on her face, along with her red eyes that proved she'd clearly been crying. It wasn't that he hadn't expected something like that to happen… it just bothered him to see her so upset.

He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he was grateful that Nora broke the silence first.

"Danse... thank you for coming with me," she said quietly, not quite meeting his eyes. He nodded and paused for a moment, then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Is... there anything else you need, Taylor?"

She took a deep breath, then partially turned to look back into the cryo room. She was silent for a little while, then looked back at Danse.

"I..." she looked a little uncomfortable and looked downwards. "...I have a bit of a favor to ask."

He nodded at her. "Name it."

She looked upwards again, a conflicted expression on her face. "I don't... like leaving them all like that. I don't just mean Nate... I mean _all_ of them. Just trapped there, frozen forever like that... it doesn't seem right."

"Agreed," he said. "Vault-Tec may have frozen them under false pretenses, but what happened to them all is a crime the Institute needs to pay for."

Nora nodded. "I was hoping... I'd like to... get them out of here somehow. Bury them. In Sanctuary, where they belong." She sighed softly. "I wouldn't want this to be a place for people to come back and be able to... I dunno, gawk at them or something. I know it won't necessarily be easy, but... I feel like it's the least I should do for them - to finally let them rest in peace."

Danse thought over her words carefully as she went on.

"I'd need your help, and maybe I can ask Preston to assist as well. We don't have to do it right _now_ \- the cryopods have kept them... 'intact' so far," she frowned, not quite sure how she should have worded that, "and we _do_ still have our Brotherhood duties to attend to, including letting Maxson know about the strange guy at Goodneighbor. But... maybe next time we have some leisure time?" She paused and then held up her hands. "If you'd rather not, you _can_ say no. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know I'm putting pressure on you -"

"- _Taylor_ ," Danse interrupted, holding up a hand to stop her. She bit her lip a little, a nervous habit she was starting to develop. He shook his head at her. "...You're right. It's not right for them to stay here. Especially... your husband," he added, looking at her sadly. "The next time we get a chance... I'll come back here with you and help take care of things. We'll give these people the rest in peace they deserve."

She stared at him for a few seconds, then stepped forward and gave him another awkward power armor hug. He hesitated, then patted her back gently.

"...Is this hugging thing going to become a new habit for you?" he asked wryly.

She blinked and pulled away to look at him, as a corner of his mouth threatened to turn upward a little. Her jaw dropped a little bit.

"...Is _the_ Paladin Danse actually trying to make something resembling a _joke_?"

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about," he said, trying to frown seriously again and not succeeding well. Nora chuckled a little and shook her head.

"...Come on... let's get out of here."

* * *

They rose back up in the elevator and exited Vault 111, heading back towards Sanctuary.

As Danse looked over the small settlement from the hill, the strange old woman's message to him popped back into his thoughts: _"That thing you wanted to talk to her about? ...No time like the present."_ He didn't know _how_ she had known what was in the back of his mind and it unsettled him a little, but... he figured it was better to talk to Nora now while they were still alone, in case they didn't get much of a chance later.

"Taylor..." he called out to her, and Nora turned to look at him. "Before we go back to town and call the vertibird, there's an... 'off the record' matter I'd like to discuss. Do you... have time now?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. " 'Off the record'? ...That's not like you, Danse."

He nodded. "Which is why this is going to be difficult to say, so I'd appreciate it if you bear with me." He cleared his throat nervously. "When you were first placed under my sponsorship, I had some serious reservations about it. Despite all that, I think this has turned out to be a rewarding experience - for _both_ of us - so far. At this point, honestly - I don't think there's much else I could teach you about being a Brotherhood soldier that you don't _already_ know. It's apparent from your attitude and your actions that you intend to keep those ideals close to your heart."

Her expression grew a little concerned. "I'm flattered to hear all this, but... I feel like there's more you want to tell me."

He nodded. "There is, I'm just... not very good at these things. ...Do you remember me telling you about my life before joining the Brotherhood? Operating a junk stand in Rivet City?" When she nodded, he continued. "While I was there, I met a guy named Cutler. We got along pretty well, watched each other's backs, and kept each other out of trouble. When the Brotherhood came by on a recruiting run, we felt like it was the best way out of our nowhere lives... so we joined up."

She chuckled a little bit. "I have a hard time picturing you as anything but a soldier." _'Wait... Cutler... has Danse ever mentioned him before? That name sounds a little familiar...'_

"Clearly, I was ignoring my calling. Anyway - about a year after we were posted to the Prydwen, Cutler vanished on a scouting op. It took some convincing but I was able to persuade my CO to let me assemble a squad and search for him. It took almost three weeks... but we tracked his team down to a super mutant hive."

He took a heavy breath, trying to will the mental images from the memories away.

"Those wretched abominations had slaughtered everyone but Cutler. He should have _been_ so lucky. The mutant bastards had used their FEV to change him into one of their own kind. ...He wasn't Cutler anymore." His fists clenched at his sides. "The FEV effect is irreversible. There was nothing anyone could do. I had to... it was my duty to..." he looked downward, his expression dark. "...put him down."

She swallowed hard, her eyes full of sympathy. "I'm... _so_ sorry, Danse. ...You did what the Brotherhood taught you."

"Then you understand why it had to be done. Ever since Cutler died, I've seen soldiers come and go. Some were brave, some were honest... hell, some were even downright heroic. But... I'd never considered any of them to be a good friend, a friend like Cutler was..." He looked up at Nora, a tender expression on his face. "...until now. ...It's a good feeling, but it frightens me all the same. Having a bond with someone, then losing them... it changes you. ...I don't want to have to go through that again."

"Danse..." She took a few steps closer to him. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took one of his armored hands in her own.

"It wouldn't be that way with me. I... I care about you, Danse. Too much to let that happen. You're not only my CO... you've become a good friend to me, as well."

His face flushed a little. "I... I just thought you deserved to know how I felt. If you feel that I've overstepped my bounds, I completely understand."

Nora dropped his hand again and rolled her eyes overdramatically. "Yes Danse... I'm totally reporting you to Maxson when we get back to the Prydwen."

The corner of Danse's mouth quirked upwards a little.

" _Whatever_ the case may be... I appreciate the fact that you took the time to listen, Taylor."

She pouted slightly. "Like I said before... I think it'd be okay if you call me 'Nora' now and then." She lowered her voice secretively, almost at a whisper. "...I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Another quirk of Danse's mouth.

"I think 'Taylor' will have to suffice for now."

He heard her mutter something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'party pooper' as she rolled her eyes again but smiled, and they headed back down to Sanctuary together.


	14. Chapter 14 - Trust

As Nora and Danse waited by the edge of Sanctuary for the vertibird to arrive, Preston and Dogmeat came by one last time to see them off. Nora ruffled Dogmeat's fur lovingly as he whimpered.

"Sorry boy... I don't know if Elder Maxson would appreciate a dog aboard the Prydwen that much. ...I _definitely_ don't think Proctor Quinlan's cat would appreciate it."

Dogmeat whined and looked over at Danse, who smiled softly and gave Dogmeat a pat on the head.

"Don't worry, boy... I'll make sure this soldier comes home alive," he said.

Dogmeat gave a soft bark and licked Danse's armored hand.

Nora giggled and shook her head. "...I think you made a new friend." They grinned and turned towards Preston, who eyed Danse wearily.

"Remember - the Commonwealth belongs to all of us, Paladin Danse."

Danse nodded, his grin fading a little. "Don't worry, Garvey. There shouldn't be a problem... as long as the Minutemen don't get in my way."

Nora rolled her eyes at the two of them as she shook Preston's hand, the chopping sound of vertibird blades getting closer. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised.

"Sure thing, General," he replied. "I'll hold down the fort here - you can count on me."

* * *

Arthur sat at the table in his quarters reading through a stack of reports - something there _never_ seemed to be a lack of for the young Elder. Maintenance on the Prydwen, medical research and technical data from the Scribes, vertibird fuel and mechanical needs from the Lancers, training regimens on the Squires, food and supply runs for... well, _everyone_... the list just went on and on. An Elder's job was _never_ finished... it was just eventually replaced by another Brotherhood member when the previous Elder could no longer fulfill their duty for whatever reason.

And he was a _Maxson_ , besides - the very last of his line. All of his ancestors - right up to Roger Maxson himself, the Brotherhood's _founder_ \- had either been an Elder or a high-ranking Brotherhood member. It was quite a legacy to live up to. Everyone expected him to get married, procreate (ideally resulting in _multiple_ little Maxsons to carry on his name), and raise the future Elder of the Brotherhood.

...It wasn't that he _didn't_ want these things, it just... would have been nice if he ever felt like he had a _say_ in the matter. His whole life, he felt like he'd never had a choice but to do what was _expected_ of him - that he should just keep his mouth shut and comply like everyone wanted him to.

" _You're a Maxson,"_ his mother had once told him when he was very little, and she'd come to visit him at the Citadel. " _You need to start acting like one. Be the leader that everyone expects you to be."_

He rested his elbows on the table with a deep sigh and rubbed his tired eyes for a moment. He wanted to groan when he heard a knock on his door, but fought to hold it in.

"Come," he said wearily. He blinked when he saw Paladin Danse enter the room with Knight Taylor behind him.

' _Back already?'_ he thought. ' _...It hasn't even been an entire day yet. What time is it?'_ He looked at a clock in his room and wanted to chuckle. They had left after breakfast, and it wasn't quite dinner yet. He refrained from shaking his head... it figured Danse couldn't keep away from the Prydwen for long. He should have known.

Danse seemed to sense Arthur's bewilderment, because he cleared his throat and looked a bit sheepish.

"Apologies, Elder," he began. "I know we're back a little sooner than expected - but while Knight Taylor and I were out, we received some... troubling intel from the Memory Den regarding our mission there. We thought it best to report back to you as soon as possible."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What kind of troubling intel?"

Danse's gaze slid over to Nora's, who slowly stepped forward.

"We were in Sanctuary, a small settlement near... Vault 111," she began. She could see the recognition in his eyes and went on. "Shortly after our arrival there, we were greeted by the mayor of Goodneighbor - a ghoul named 'John Hancock'."

Arthur's other eyebrow raised. "... _'John Hancock'_?" he asked slowly, a disbelieving tone to his voice.

She gritted her teeth a little and drew in a breath. "...I was kinda hoping you wouldn't recognize the name," she admitted. She heard Danse groan softly behind her.

Arthur sat back in his chair and gave her a reproachful look. "I've been able to recite the _entire_ Brotherhood's Codex from memory since age 9, Knight. I believe I would know a _little_ bit about some of the historical figures of our country... or what's _left_ of it, anyway."

Nora didn't know what the 'codex' was... she'd have to ask Danse about that later. For now, she shrugged and looked a little unsure. "My apologies, sir... that's just the name he goes by."

Arthur gave her a skeptical look, but waved a hand in the air. "At _any_ rate... continue."

She nodded. "Hancock informed Danse and I that soon after we'd left the Memory Den, a strange man went inside and started asking Dr. Amari all kinds of odd, specific questions... about how the memory loungers worked, and what they could do." She paused to look back at Danse, whose face looked as concerned as hers was becoming. "...And apparently, he also tried to obtain information on Danse and I as well."

Arthur's face was blank. "Did Dr. Amari give him any information?"

She shook her head. "Only what she tells _anyone_ that asks about the memory loungers - nothing specific about the technology. Hancock said that she didn't tell the man about Danse and I, that she keeps any client information confidential. He also mentioned that the man was covered from head to toe, so they weren't able to identify him at all."

Arthur sat silently for a moment as he took all of this information in.

"So let me just... make sure I understand all of this," he said carefully. "After your mission, a man no one would have _any_ way of identifying entered the Memory Den. He asked about you and Danse, _and_ specifics about the memory lounger technology - which has the ability to enter a person's mind and view its inner workings. He didn't get much information back - but I doubt this will be the only effort he'll use to get the information he was seeking. And our 'credible' source of information on this thus far is a ghoul mayor from a town that is _known_ for its shady practices, impropriety, and dangerous behavior, who goes by a pseudonym of a patriot from over 500 years ago." He stared at Nora, one eyebrow raised. "...Is _that_ what you both are telling me right now?"

Danse looked like he wanted to jump off of the Prydwen, but Nora stood firm and nodded at Arthur. "Yes sir."

He slowly sat forward and rested his arms on the table, never breaking eye contact with her. "So... indulge me, Knight Taylor. While I admit - I don't like hearing that someone may be suspiciously curious about any technology involving one's brain, _and_ two of my soldiers... why should I put any faith into this source of information?"

Danse sighed softly. He had to admit, Maxson had Nora there. He was inclined to not trust the shifty mayor himself, but Nora _had_ \- and her instincts were usually right on par. She had this... almost annoying ability to convince him to do these things he usually wouldn't do.

Nora stared right back at Arthur for a moment. _'...All right, Taylor... time to turn the 'lawyer skills' on.'_

She sat down across the table from him uninvited (which made both men raise their eyebrows) and leaned forward, feeling like she was about to negotiate with a courtroom judge.

"I know how this all must sound," she began. "And I don't blame you for being skeptical. Not one bit. But when Danse and I first arrived at Goodneighbor, a man threatened to rob us, and was most likely going to get violent if he didn't succeed. Now Danse and I - we can take care of ourselves. We've faced _much_ worse opponents together. But the mayor, Hancock - ghoul or _not_ \- confronted the man, told him to leave us alone, and... took care of him when he wouldn't back down."

 _'Stabbed him repeatedly, you mean,'_ Danse thought dryly, but kept his mouth shut.

"He welcomed us to Goodneighbor, _knowing_ that we were members of the Brotherhood - well... at the beginning, knowing that _Danse_ was, anyway - _knowing_ that people in the area don't tend to _like_ the Brotherhood, and _knowing_ that the Brotherhood doesn't look too kindly on ghouls-" she narrowed her eyes a little at this, but went on, "-but welcomed us all the same. While we were there, a lot of bad things could have happened to us, and he could have _let_ them happen. But in his own way, Hancock has honor, and made sure we were treated as well as any other well-meaning citizen."

Danse couldn't help feel that she was laying it on a little thick... but at the same time, he was captivated by her words - as Maxson seemed to be - and was intrigued to see how this situation would play out.

"When information was presented to him that he thought might be of interest to us, he _could_ have done nothing with it. He could have chosen to ignore it, to wash his hands of the whole thing. Instead, he made the journey from Goodneighbor to Sanctuary - probably about a _six hour_ walk, mind you - alone, to make _sure_ we were informed of the situation. And _then_ he promised to keep us _informed_ of any more information if it came, when - again - he could have chosen to end his assistance right then and there."

She sat back in the chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't know about you sir, but these don't sound to me like the actions of a man whose disturbing message we should be ignoring."

For a minute or two, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

' _...Oh, she_ _is_ _good,'_ Arthur couldn't help thinking, willing himself not to reveal the knowing smile threatening his face. ' _...A little_ _too_ _good.'_ He said nothing for a short period of time and rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully.

"Taylor..." he began, "I never _did_ ask you - out of... sheer _morbid_ curiosity, what exactly did you do for a profession in the past, before your time in the vault?"

 _'...Oops,'_ thought Nora as her jaw dropped a little bit. ' _...Busted.'_ Should she play this off as confident, or contrite? She was silent for a moment, forcing herself to hold his gaze and not look away (...though it _was_ difficult).

"I... was a lawyer," she admitted hesitantly.

 _'And so... another piece falls into place,'_ Arthur thought. Of _course_ she was a lawyer. It figured. He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, trying (and failing) not to look smug.

"...Ah." was all he said at first.

She scowled at him before she could stop herself.

 _'That smug son of a... he has me pegged. He knows_ _exactly_ _what he's doing.'_

Seeing her squirm made Arthur's composure crack the tiniest bit, and he couldn't help the smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. It made her scowl even more, and he had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn't laugh.

"So if I understand correctly... you're used to speaking up for people of questionable morals then, is that correct Taylor?"

Danse closed his eyes for a moment and grunted quietly. Arthur was totally baiting her. He knew it. Danse knew it. He was willing to bet that Nora knew it too... but she was unfortunately not doing well at not taking the bait.

Her chin jutted out stubbornly. "Not _everyone_ I defended was a criminal or a 'bad person', _sir_. Some were people that simply made a mistake, some were people that unfortunate things had happened to. Some were perfectly upstanding individuals who wouldn't judge someone on unfair or incorrect stereotypes... not unlike yourself, _sir_."

That got Arthur's attention, and he wasn't sure he liked her implication.

"Anyway... _sir_..."

Arthur's eyes narrowed - every emphasized 'sir' she said felt like a fingerpoke in his chest, and it was beginning to get to him.

She definitely spotted this, and it was her turn for the corner of her mouth to turn upwards ever so slightly as she continued on.

"I don't feel like it'd be wise to take Hancock's warning 'with a grain of salt'. There's not much we can do right now, but if anything else unusual happens that may be related to this, we may need to come up with a plan."

Danse resisted the urge to shake his head and sigh, noting his presence in the room was starting to be overlooked by the other two. He felt somewhat like a parent watching two siblings about to start duking it out.

Arthur's eyes seemed to burn into Nora's for a moment before he begrudgingly nodded at her.

"Indeed..." he said slowly. "Is there anything _else_ you need to discuss with me - _either_ of you?" he added as he looked up at Danse, who he had almost forgotten was still standing there. Nora seemed to increasingly have that effect on him, and he didn't like it - mostly.

Danse straightened up at being noticed and shook his head. "No sir."

Nora opened her mouth and paused, feeling a bit conflicted. She _still_ hadn't mentioned Nick's role in all of this so far - and the longer she avoided mentioning him, the more it nagged at her. She recalled the Elder's earlier words to her: ' _If you want me to trust you, I need_ _you_ _to trust_ _me_ _.'_

She... she _did_ want Elder Maxson to trust her. She didn't know why, but for some reason it felt... important to her.

She turned her head to look at Danse behind her, a reluctant look on her face. Danse looked back at her confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened when he realized what was going on in her head. She could see his jaw tighten as he gritted his teeth and gave his head the slightest of shakes.

' _No, Taylor,'_ he seemed to say. ' _...That is a very bad idea.'_

' _I have to, Danse...'_ she tried to convey with her face. ' _It's only going to get worse the longer I wait to tell him.'_

Danse paled a little, and Arthur narrowed his eyes at the two of them. Something was clearly going on between both of them, and he didn't like it one bit.

"... _Knight Taylor_?" he asked warily.

She turned back to Arthur and swallowed nervously. No matter _how_ she approached this, it was going to be bad. Danse's past words surfaced in her mind: _'If you screw up, we go down together.'_ If Danse were to get punished for something _she_ was responsible for, she'd feel awful - she knew how important the Brotherhood was to him.

She took a deep breath and tried to will herself to stay strong.

"There _is_ something I haven't been... _completely_ upfront with you about," she said carefully. When the Elder said nothing and waited, she continued. "Danse and I... we had a little... 'assistance' with our mission at the Memory Den. In fact, even before I _met_ Danse and joined the Brotherhood, I had a friend who helped me track down Kellogg, my son's kidnapper. He was with me when I confronted Kellogg at Fort Hagen. I... wouldn't have gotten anywhere _near_ as far as I did without his help. In fact, I wouldn't have discovered the neural interface we took from Kellogg at _all_ without his help. The success we had at the Memory Den was largely due to _his_ assistance."

Arthur listened to her speak patiently. "And is this 'friend' of yours as colorful a character as the ghoul mayor from Goodneighbor you seem to be so quick to defend?" he asked, a somewhat disparaging tone to his voice. When she bit her bottom lip and was silent for a moment, he raised an eyebrow and tried to prepare himself.

 _' _... Worse? What could be worse? A gunner? ...A raider?' __The thought of a pre-Brotherhood Nora running around the Commonwealth relying on a common raider for assistance threatened to put Arthur in a darker mood, but he tried not to get ahead of himself.

She took another deep breath. "He's... a detective from Diamond City. His name is Nick Valentine."

 _'...Is that_ _it_ _?'_ thought Arthur. _'That's not so bad.'_

"And..."

 _'Oh God... here it comes,'_ thought Danse, already preparing to wince at Maxson's reaction.

"He's also... um... kind of a..." she broke his eye contact and looked downwards towards the floor, her voice lowering to barely louder than a whisper. "...a synth."

Arthur eyes slowly widened as he gaped at her for several agonizing moments.

"...A _what_?!" he finally exclaimed, his eyes boring holes into her. "...A _synth?!_ " He sputtered furiously for a few minutes, not wanting to believe his ears. His eyes flew to Danse - who was cringing slightly behind Nora - and he narrowed them ferociously at the Paladin.

Nora caught that immediately and jumped in before he could continue.

"Before you say anything else, Danse didn't know _anything_ about him being a synth until we got to Goodneighbor - I actually had to prevent Danse from shooting him on _sight_. He had _no_ idea before the fact, he's not to blame for anything."

"Didn't know anything about _'HIM'?_ " Arthur whipped his face back towards her and stood up from the table, his expression furious. "It's not a 'HIM', _Knight_ , it's an 'IT'! An abomination of technology that shouldn't be allowed to exist in our world! A representation of the _very_ thing that we are working to destroy!" He leaned over the table towards her and glared at her. "Or have you _forgotten_ why the Institute needs to be wiped off the face of the earth?"

Her face flushed furiously as she also stood up and leaned over the table towards him. She gritted her teeth as she talked, her voice nearly coming out in a hiss.

"...I haven't forgotten for _one_ _damn_ _minute_ that the Institute needs to be destroyed!" She leaned in closer, staring daggers at him. "My life was _completely_ _torn_ _apart_ because of the Institute. I still have nightmares sometimes and wake up in a cold sweat because of what happened to my family, because of _them_." She leaned forward further still, her face just inches from his now. "Do. NOT. _EVER_. Tell me I've forgotten how important taking those _bastards_ down is."

"KNIGHT."

She heard Danse's fuming voice behind her, but didn't move. She and Arthur continued glaring at each other for another moment or two, neither one breaking eye contact. Arthur was the first to break the silence once more.

"Paladin," he growled. "Leave us." He saw Danse hesitate and reluctantly broke eye contact with Nora to shift his eyes over to him. " _Now_ please, Paladin."

Danse held in a sigh and nodded, hoping the two of them wouldn't kill each other in his absence.

When he saw Danse leave, his eyes traveled back over to Nora's, who was still glaring at him. He didn't want to be the one to 'crack' first... but apparently, she was just as stubborn as _he_ was, maybe more. ...Not to mention, it was just _now_ occurring to him how close their faces really were to each other, and it was making him increasingly uneasy.

He backed up slowly and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Knight Taylor-"

"Elder Maxson-" she spoke at the same time as him. They both froze. She sighed also and closed her eyes.

"...I'm sorry for my outburst. It _was_ disrespectful - especially in front of Paladin Danse - and for that, I apologize." Arthur's agitation diminished little by little as she opened her eyes again and continued. "To be _fair_... the Brotherhood's main mission in the Commonwealth right now is to put an end to the Institute. If my subordinate had told _me_ that one of my missions was aided by a synth _from_ the Institute - and hadn't been _upfront_ with me about it - I might have had the same reaction as you."

 _'...Maybe.'_

She gestured to the table again, implying for him to sit as she did so. He slowly sat back down across from her as she continued. "Nick Valentine is a synth that the Institute discarded long ago. He's a discarded prototype - somewhere between a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 synth. He looks like a Gen 2, but behaves like a Gen 3 - he exhibits shrewd intelligence and isn't hostile towards non-Institute humans... no more than _you and I_ are, anyway. He doesn't remember _anything_ about the Institute, and is as willing to help put a stop to their activities as _we_ are."

She rubbed her forehead and sighed again. "Like I said before... he was _extremely_ helpful to me in finding Kellogg. I couldn't have done it without him. It was _his_ connection to Dr. Amari that got us _into_ the Memory Den. And even _then_ , we wouldn't have been able to discover that the Institute uses teleportation if he hadn't used his own hardware to help boost the signal from the neural interface. He's put himself in harm's way for me a _lot_ Elder Maxson, and he _didn't_ have to. All of Diamond City trusts him, and they're _constantly_ living in fear of the Institute and synths replacing people. If he can gain _their_ trust, he must be doing something right."

Arthur was silent for a couple minutes, taking everything in. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he ran his hands though the longer hair on top of his head.

Nora wished he would say something... having him yell at her was almost preferable to him saying _nothing_. When he finally spoke again, he sounded weary.

"This... 'thing'... is a 'detective', you said?"

She nodded. " _He_ is, yes."

He shook his head and looked at her incredulously. "...Ridiculous. ...How you managed to become acquainted with this rabble you've found is completely beyond me."

Her eyes narrowed a little. "I wouldn't call them a 'rabble', _sir_..." (another figurative fingerpoke in Maxson's chest) "...they're just... people that are trying to do their best with what life has dealt them. I assure you, Nick is no more a danger to us than anyone _else_ in the Commonwealth."

 _'It's not a_ _person_ _,'_ he wanted to retort - but he saw that the argument wasn't going to get him anywhere. She wasn't going to budge... no more than _he_ wanted to. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. This woman... she was going to drive him to drink.

"Knight..." he began, suddenly feeling exhausted. "...I hope you know what you're doing. In lieu of its assistance thus far... as long as this _synth_ acts in _our_ favor, I won't retaliate against him. For _now_." He leaned forward and stared right into her pupils, hoping to impress upon her the seriousness of his next words. "But know this: if it so much as puts _one_ toe out of line - if I hear even the _faintest_ word about it acting suspiciously, or in favor of the Institute, I will _not_ hesitate to have this thing destroyed. This is _non-negotiable_. Do you hear me, Taylor?"

She nodded. "Absolutely, sir. I can personally guarantee that it won't come to that."

 _'I don't know if you_ _can_ _,'_ Arthur thought skeptically, but nodded in return. He didn't really know what made him ask his next question.

"...Why didn't you tell me before? When you and Danse reported back about the Memory Den? Not that I'd _want_ you to lie about it, but... why tell me _now_?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but came up short for a moment. "...I _should_ have told you then. I'm sorry." Her eyes drifted downwards towards the table. "When I... emerged from Vault 111 and came into this 'new world'... I didn't know _what_ to think. I was obviously distraught and in shock over what had happened, and could barely function at first. I didn't know _who_ to trust. Vault-Tec had told my family we were going to be 'just fine' and not to worry - and look what happened."

He frowned and she shook her head. No... she was _not_ going to start getting upset about _that_ all over again. Especially not in front of _him_. _'You're a soldier... show no weakness...'_ She took a breath and went on.

"When I told you about everything that happened to me... I remembered what you'd said to me before: 'If you want me to trust you, I need _you_ to trust _me_.' " She looked up at Arthur and swallowed a growing lump in her throat. "I... I _do_ trust you, Maxson. And I _want_ you to trust _me_. I don't want to do anything to betray that trust."

Arthur was speechless for a minute, barely noticing that she had dropped the title from his name. His stomach lurched a little and he instinctively cleared his throat, as if that would alleviate the feeling. He hesitated to ask his next question. When he finally did, his voice was considerably softer.

"...While we're at it... is there anything _else_ you need to discuss with me, Taylor? Because I assure you - _now_ would be the time to tell me. I don't want to hear about you keeping any other 'bombshells' from me in the future."

She took a deep breath. _'Might as well...'_ she thought.

"...Before I joined the Brotherhood - before I'd even _met_ Paladin Danse - I rescued some settlers in Concord. One of them was Colonel Preston Garvey, the last surviving member - at that time - of the Minutemen. To make a longer story short - he was so impressed with how I handed the Raiders that I rescued them from, that he appointed me the new General of the Minutemen."

...Well.

Arthur hadn't seen _that_ coming. ...It seemed that Taylor's odd band of associates had increased. He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to argue with her some more... perhaps a discussion for another day.

"All right..." he said slowly. "...Anything _else_?"

She started to shake her head, then stopped as her eyes widened a bit. She seemed to remember something.

"Actually... there _is_ one other thing," she said.

Arthur held back a groan and wanted to bang his forehead on the table in front of him. _'There's even_ _more_ _?'_ he thought wearily. He didn't know how much more he could take from her today.

She stood up and went over to the pack she'd left by the door to his quarters when she'd entered with Danse. She opened it and seemed to hunt around for something for a minute while Arthur watched her curiously. When she seemed to find what she was looking for, she pulled it out - what looked like a small, rectangular piece of paper - and walked back over to the table. Instead of sitting across from him though, like she had before, she moved to sit right next to him instead. He raised his eyebrows, then looked down at what she was handing him - a photograph, he realized, and one that was quite old looking.

"I... found this earlier today," she said softly. "I didn't know if... maybe... _you_ would like to have it."

He gazed up at her for a moment before looking back down at the photo, taking it from her gently. It appeared to be a company of soldiers in pre-war uniforms standing together outside some kind of military base. He didn't fully understand the significance until he saw the caption at the bottom:

 _Mariposa Military Base, California - 2077_.

His eyes widened a little as it hit him. "Is... is this..."

Nora leaned over him a little to point at the photo. "That's my husband, Nate. And _that_ -" she pointed to the man next to him, "-I believe... is Roger Maxson."

Arthur brought the photo a little closer to his face and stared at the man she was pointing at.

...His ancestor. He'd seen photos of his other predecessors in the past, and they definitely looked similar. His eyes drifted from Roger Maxson to the man standing next to him - Knight Taylor's husband.

"This is..." he shook his head in disbelief. "...I can't believe you have this."

"My husband and your ancestor... pretty unbelievable, huh?" She asked with a smile. She was looking down at the photo also. "I guess life is pretty-" she and Arthur inadvertently looked up at each other at the same time, and her breath caught in her throat. "...amazing sometimes."

He saw her face flushing, and felt his own face heating up as they both realized how close to each other they had unintentionally gotten. Their shoulders and upper arms were pressed together, and their faces were just inches apart.

Her lips parted without her realizing it, and she felt a jolt go through her as his eyes flickered down for a brief moment to look at them.

He swallowed hard. It'd be so easy... to just lean forward... just a little bit...

He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away, back down to the photo in his hand again.

"I..." he started, his voice a little shaky. _Damn this woman... what was she doing to him?_ He moved to hand the photo back over to her. "...I can't take this from you, Taylor."

She stared at him for a moment, then gently placed her hand over his and pushed the photo back towards him.

"Take it. ...I want you to have it. I have plenty of photos of Nate... I don't imagine you have too many pictures of your own family members. I... understand how important family is."

It was true, Arthur _didn't_ have many pictures of his family... the Maxsons had slowly petered out over time, leaving him as the sole member left. He already had _enough_ pressure on his shoulders from the Brotherhood's other Elders to remedy that situation, and that was along with all of the _other_ duties being an Elder entailed. He shook his head at her.

"You're right... I don't," he said softly. "I'm... the last Maxson there is. Once I die... that's it for my family."

 _'Why are you telling her this?'_ a voice is his head hissed at him.

She looked at him with what appeared to be sympathy. Normally he'd _hate_ someone looking at him this way - he didn't want or need _anyone's_ pity - but when _she_ looked at him that way, he... found he didn't dislike it too much.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she murmured. She was quiet for a moment, then chuckled quietly. "The Sole Survivor of Vault 111, and the sole survivor of the Maxson family... I guess we make quite a pair, huh?"

She didn't realize the implication of what she'd said until it was too late, and her face turned even redder.

 _'Oh God, Nora... shove that foot in your mouth down even_ _further _ _, why don't you?'_

Arthur's face took on a strange expression, and she suddenly wanted to sink through the floor.

They both looked down after a moment to see that she was still holding his hand in hers. She pulled her hand back as if burned, then cleared her throat nervously.

"I'm... I'm sorry sir. Was there anything else you needed?"

He was silent for a couple seconds, then shook his head again, his voice considerably softer.

"I think that will be all for today." As she rose out of her chair, he suddenly reached out his hand to stop her. "Knight-"

She looked down at him, and he got to his feet to stand beside her. He looked at her with his mouth open for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to say. Finally, he cleared his throat and held up the photograph.

"...Thank you. This... means a lot to me, Taylor."

She paused, then murmured something so quietly, Arthur almost missed it.

"...Nora."

He blinked, taken aback for a second. "...I'm sorry?"

" _Nora_ ," she said again, a little louder this time. "I know you're the Elder and have to be 'proper' and everything but... if it's just you and me, you can just call me 'Nora'. _Someone_ might as well... besides Brooks, I mean." She smiled softly.

He stared at her for a few seconds, and she was worried that she'd crossed a line and was going to get reprimanded. Instead, he murmured quietly back at her.

"...Arthur."

She felt a slight clench in her chest and nodded, trying to not look as thrown off as she felt.

"Arthur," she repeated softly. She saw a muscle constrict in his jaw, before he duplicated the gesture.

"Nora," he said, and the tone of his voice made a shiver go through her. She had to get out of here.

She nodded one last time at him, before she picked up her bag by the door and walked out. Arthur looked down at the photo in his hand again.

 _'She's just another one of your soldiers..._ _nothing_ _more,'_ the voice in his head repeated... but it sounded a lot quieter now, followed by another thought - one he wasn't sure he liked.

 _' _...Are you sure?'__

* * *

END NOTE:  
I understand they're only going to put SO much story element into the game - but I find it ironic that Nick Valentine is allowed to come aboard the Prydwen as Nora's travel companion and only has to deal w/ a few snarky comments... but Danse is revealed as a synth later, and it's like, 'OMFG, HE MUST DIIIIIIIE'.

Yes, I GET that Nick is NOT a member of the Brotherhood, & the fear is there that Danse might go back to the Institute and spill all kinds of Brotherhood secrets, & that they feel that kind of technology is 'wrong' - but then why doesn't anyone open fire on Nick? Why not become an enemy of the Brotherhood (like when traveling w/ Danse post-Blind Betrayal) while traveling around w/ Nick? Or for God's sake - X6 for that matter?! WTF Bethesda?! Urgh.

To 'LNS': Thank you so much for your comment! It's so nice to receive such a compliment when you're trying your best to do well. I've (clearly, lol) already started making this fic 'Maxson-centric' so I hope you're not too disappointed... but like I said before, I WILL be doing a 'Danse-version' of this same fic at a later date (same basic story, but w/ Danse paired w/ Nora instead). Hopefully you'll still enjoy this fic, but if not, I hope you'll stay tuned for the future! :-)


	15. Chapter 15 - Bonds

BEGINNING NOTE:  
Geez, I can't believe I'm already on Chapter 15! WOOT! (Longest chapter YET so far, btw, beating out Ch. 7)  
In case you didn't notice, I updated the tags on this fic, since it's clearly going in a Maxson/Nora direction. Hopefully Danse fans will enjoy this story and stay tuned for the 'Danse pairing version' later on in the future.

\- To 'Guest' who commented on Ch. 14: I... don't think Danse's 1st name is 'Saul', lol. As far as I could figure out, he doesn't _have_ a first name (at least one that Bethesda told us about), so it's pretty open to people's personal headcanon. You said it was on his terminal, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have one in his quarters, and the tiny mention of him (as 'M7-97') on an Institute terminal didn't mention a 1st name either. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me - but I don't believe I am. But hey - to each his own!  
At any rate, don't worry: at the risk of spoilers, I have NO intention of killing off my favorite Paladin at this time. :-)

\- To 'Paladin Bailey': Thanks so much for reading! I do absolutely love Danse, but Maxson/F!SS fics are less plentiful, and ones in which Maxson isn't a total a$$ or a villain (or equivalent) are not always easy to find. I wanted to get inside his head and join the few that try & show him in a different light.  
With that line in Ch. 14 (about Nora being the F!SS & Arthur being the last Maxson) - I actually thought of that spur of the moment when writing it, but thought it'd be a cute (and yet awkward) thing for Nora to say. *^_^*

Ad Victoriam! :-D

Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading thus far, and remember - comments/feedback are always encouraged & appreciated! :-D

* * *

Nora walked quickly down the hallway in somewhat of a daze, not even entirely sure where she was going. She had just left Eld- _Arthur's_ quarters, and paused by the power armor bay to clear her head. The end of their last conversation had left her... a little disoriented, to say the least. She pressed a hand to her cheek, disliking the heat she felt there.

 _'What the hell is_ _wrong_ _with you?'_ she thought in frustration. She shook her head and tried to will her pulse to slow down. ...What _was_ wrong with her?

"Hey, Nora!" She jumped when she suddenly heard a voice come from behind her and turned to see Matthew Brooks - the soldier that had introduced himself eagerly to her earlier - jogging up to her. "I'm glad to see you, some of the guys and I are-" he paused when he saw the look on her face. "...Are you all right? You look a little... discombobulated." He chuckled and looked at her questioningly.

She cleared her throat and nodded, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry - what were you saying?"

He stared at her for a moment and she could tell he wasn't really buying it, but was grateful when he pushed forward anyway.

"Some of the guys and I are gonna hang out on the lower level - play some cards, have a drink or two... you want in?"

 _'God, yes,'_ she wanted to say. A distraction was the perfect thing for her right now, _anything_ to get her mind off of... she nodded at him and smiled.

"Sounds great, thanks," she said, and followed him as he led the way.

* * *

A folding table and chairs had been set up in the recreation area of the lower level of the Prydwen, and as Brooks headed towards it, Nora nodded at the other soldiers seated around the table who turned to look at them.

"Hey guys, I found one more! Make some room," he said, and she did a double-take when she recognized one of the faces.

"Brandis!" she grinned at the older Paladin, who smiled softly at her. A few of the other soldiers gaped at her familiarity with one of their superior officers, so she quickly added, "...Paladin. Sir."

Brandis chuckled and nodded a greeting. "Taylor. ...Knight," he also added, a slight twinkle in his eye at his jest.

She grinned, thankful for his easygoing response, as Brooks introduced her to everyone.

"Guys, this is Knight Nora Taylor - Paladin Danse's newest protégée." He turned to her and smiled. "So... obviously you already know Paladin Jonathan Brandis." He turned back to the table and pointed at the soldiers as he identified them. "There's Knight Steven Womack, Knight Michael Petris, and Paladin Samuel Williams - he's _my_ sponsor, and you already met his wife Grace earlier this morning."

The soldiers waved back at her, and the one Brooks identified as Petris narrowed his eyes briefly, before they widened in recognition.

"Hey... Danse's new Knight - you're the vault dweller, right?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and was a bit surprised when the other soldiers coughed loudly - a little _too_ suspiciously to be an accident or coincidence. She raised an eyebrow as Womack smacked Petris in the arm, who seemed to remember something and quickly backpedaled.

"I mean, uh... never mind."

Womack grunted as Brooks and Nora sat down, and she heard him mutter under his breath, "Smooth, moron."

Petris snapped his gaze over to Womack and hissed quietly. "Well I forgot! Sorry!"

"...Forgot what, exactly?" She asked curiously, her one eyebrow still raised. The other men looked uncomfortable for a moment before Brooks spoke up, looking apologetic.

"We're... not supposed to ask you about it. Your vault, I mean," he said softly.

She stared at him with a confused expression until it dawned on her: Maxson. _Arthur_... whoever she was supposed to think of him as now. Her thoughts drifted back to their conversation that morning, in which he'd stepped in closer to her and held up his hand to stop her rambling.

 _"I'll take care of it,"_ he'd said softly, those damn blue eyes of his feeling like they were burning into hers.

...So much for a distraction.

She looked from one soldier's face to the next.

"What... exactly did he tell you guys?" she asked cautiously. They all seemed to look awkwardly at one another for a few seconds before Brooks caved and spoke up again.

"Just that... you'd been through a lot before you joined the Brotherhood, and that we _weren't_ to pry into your personal life - unless we wanted to spend time scrubbing the outside of the Prydwen." He couldn't stop a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth as Nora blushed.

 _'...He said that?'_

There was silence for a few more uncomfortable seconds, until Paladin Williams broke the ice.

"Hey," he said, holding his hands up, "...we _all_ have crazy, stupid, or depressing stuff in our past here. It's practically a prerequisite for _being_ in the Brotherhood of Steel. Don't sweat it - Elder Maxson also threatened us not to talk about Petris's penchant for wearing women's clothing under his power armor."

Petris's jaw dropped as Williams fought to keep a straight face.

"HEY!" he shouted, as Nora and the other soldiers burst out laughing. He looked over at Nora, horrified. "I do _NOT_!"

"Aww, don't get your panties in a twist, Petris," teased Womack as the other soldiers guffawed, minus Brandis - who shook his head smiling and mumbled something that sounded like, "...Rookies."

Nora peeked over at Williams, who caught her eye as she smiled gratefully. She mouthed a silent _"Thank you,"_ to which he nodded and winked at her.

Womack finally cleared his throat. "All right, all right, ANYWAY-" He stood and reached behind him to grab a few bottles of beer, handing them out to everyone at the table. "Thanks go to Proctor Teagan for leaving some refreshment here for us. So what's the game, soldiers?" He sat back down and pulled out a couple decks of playing cards, then looked at Nora. "Taylor - you're the newbie, what do _you_ say?"

She thought for a moment. She didn't actually _know_ a lot of card games - Nate had given up trying to teach her Poker after a few tries, and she hadn't had many friends since they tended to move around a bit while he served in the army. She certainly wasn't about to suggest 'Go Fish' to these guys.

"Well..." she said slowly, "there is _one_ game you guys might like... it's sometimes called 'I Doubt It', or 'Bluff'..."

" 'Bullshit'!" Brooks exclaimed, a grin on his face.

"Well _that's_ a bit rude," Petris said, frowning at Brooks.

Nora laughed and shook her head as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "No no no, that's _another_ name for the game. Brooks - since you're familiar, you want to explain it?"

"Glad to, my dear," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She chuckled and Williams shook his head with a grin.

"Brooks, sometimes I think you just love to hear the sound of your own voice." The other soldiers laughed as Brooks mock-scowled at Williams.

" _Anyway_..." Brooks began, "It's very simple. Cards are split between the players, and the goal is to get rid of all of your cards - first one to do so wins. We each take turns - picking anywhere between 1-3 cards in our hand. You could pick _more_ , but it's usually not recommended because it's a lot riskier for you that way. You say something like, 'I put down 2 fives', and put the cards you picked face-down on the table. The other players have to guess if you're telling the truth, and whether the cards you put down _are_ 2 fives - which if they are, nothing happens. If someone believes you're bluffing, and it's NOT 2 fives, just some cards you wanna get _rid_ of - they say 'bullshit'. If they guess right, the player has to take all of the cards in the discard pile. If they guess wrong, the _accuser_ has to take all of the cards in the discard pile. Obviously the longer you play, the more risk there is as the discard pile grows."

"Bullshit," Womack murmured with a growing smile. "...I like it. Seems simple enough. All right, 'Bullshit' it is."

* * *

A few turns and a few bottles of beer later, the other men were beginning to discover that Nora was not only exceptionally good at detecting the truth from a lie, but also at fibbing herself. Petris raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Gentlemen... I think we have a ringer." Everyone laughed and Nora did her best to look innocent.

"...I don't know _what_ you're talking about."

Petris shot an exaggerated look at the few cards in her hand, then another exaggerated look at the numerous cards in everyone else's hands. She couldn't help laughing and shrugged.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just good at reading people."

"...Oh _really?_ " drawled a deep voice behind her, and she winced before turning around. ...How Danse had ever snuck up on her in that clanky power armor of hers, she'd never know. "I guess you're just very _skilled_ then, eh Taylor?"

She smiled at him sheepishly as the other soldiers grinned at the Paladin.

"Hey, Danse!" Williams nodded at him with a smile. "I've never been able to convince you to join us down here before. I guess Taylor here is our little good luck charm, eh?"

"Perhaps," Danse replied. He glanced back down at Nora. "So... _here_ you are. You seem to be in a better mood than when I left you _earlier_ , Knight." He shot her a knowing look. She nodded and tried to change the subject.

"Brooks invited me down here with him. Do you... wanna join us?"

Danse started to shake his head, but the other soldiers had already started to make room for him. He hesitated, not really used to spending his leisure time with the other soldiers.

"Oh, sit for a while, Danse..." Brandis chuckled. "If an 'old man' like me can spare a bit of time, surely you can spare a few minutes."

Danse looked back down to Nora, who put on her best 'puppy-eyed' look for him. He sighed as he turned and walked back towards the stairs a bit - then exited his armor near the wall, walked back towards the group, and sat at the table across from Nora.

She grinned as Womack offered him a beer bottle, which he seemed to take reluctantly. Womack tossed another to Nora and Brooks, who nodded their thanks.

Danse looked at the bottle, debating opening it with the side of the table or not, when Nora held out her hand. He handed it over to her, then all eyes turned to her as she stuck the top of the bottle in her mouth, gripped it with her back teeth, and snapped the cap off. She handed the beer back over to him and spit the cap into her hand, then did a double-take as she realized the men were still staring at her.

"...What?" she asked, starting to feel self-conscious.

Petris grinned. "Ohh... she _is_ good..."

The other men laughed, minus Danse - who frowned unamused. She flipped the cap over to him as he _hmph_ 'ed.

"That's a good way to crack a tooth, Taylor," he lectured.

She snorted and shook her head. "I've known how to do that since I was 18." She knocked on the table in front of her twice. "Nothing bad yet."

He shook his head and sighed as he removed his hood and ruffled a hand through his dark hair. He blinked when he looked up and saw her gaping at him in shock, her eyes wide. Now _he_ looked self-conscious.

"...What?"

She stared for a few more seconds, then blinked a few times.

"...So... you _do_ have hair under there," she murmured, which just made the other men laugh again. Danse's face turned slightly pink.

"Of course I do... did you think I was bald?"

"I dunno, I've never seen you without it... I was beginning to think you _slept_ in that damn thing."

More laughter. Danse shifted uncomfortably in his seat, remembering that they had an audience. He took a sip of his beer and looked down at the table.

"...What are you playing, anyway?"

Brooks grinned. "Oh, _so_ glad you asked..." The rest of the table groaned as Brooks filled Danse in.

* * *

A few more turns and several beers later, Nora was disappointed to learn that Danse was annoyingly good at the game of bluffing and reading people - just as much as _she_ was. They both only had a couple cards left, so either one of them were likely to win this round. It was currently his turn. He squinted at his hand for a couple minutes, peeking up from it every so often to steal a glance at Nora, who was scrutinizing him like her life depended on it.

 _'Hmm... game on, Taylor...'_ he thought, trying hard to keep a smirk off of his face.

He put his last two cards face-down on the table, as the other soldiers watched with baited breath.

"...Two kings," he said with a blank face, not taking his eyes off of Nora's.

The other men whipped their gazes from Danse to Nora, who was still squinting at Danse. They didn't dare speak up - they figured they were all already going to lose to _one_ of them, so they might as well just 'enjoy the show'.

Nora stared silently at him for several moments, trying to figure out if he was bluffing or not. If she said _nothing_ , he would succeed in getting rid of his cards and would win. If she called his bluff and he _was_ lying, he'd have a ton of cards to pick up. If she called his bluff and was _wrong_ , Danse would still _win_.

She pursed her lips and tried to make up her mind. His face was like stone - absolutely unmoving or giving away _any_ facial tics or subtle movements. Damn… he was _really_ good at this. She was about to open her mouth when she saw it - it was almost completely imperceptible, but it happened - the corner of Danse's mouth twitched the _tiniest_ bit, as if he were fighting off a smirk. She had to fight to keep a smirk off of her _own_ face as she decided on her action. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

" _Bullshit_ ," she said, her voice taking on a slightly smug tone.

The other men whipped their faces back to Danse. He slowly raised an eyebrow at her.

"...Are you sure that's _wise_ , Knight?"

Gazes whipped back to Nora. She was silent for a moment, then leaned forward in her chair, resting her arms on the table.

"Bull. Shit. ...Show me what ya got, Paladin."

Everyone froze and held their breath as he stared at her for one more long moment, then reached over and slowly turned over the cards - revealing... _two_ _kings_.

...Several things happened at once. Nora's jaw dropped. There was a collected deep intake of breath, and then...

" _OOOHHHHHHH!_ " Brooks jumped up from his chair as his fists flew to his hair, unable to handle the revelation at first. The other soldiers burst out into loud peals of laughter as they clapped and shook their heads.

Danse finally allowed himself to smirk at Nora. She tried to scowl at him, but even she couldn't help herself... within a few seconds her face twitched, and soon she herself burst into loud laughter with the others as she rested her forehead against a hand in defeat.

"The 'queen of cards' is dead!" Brooks shouted. He grabbed Nora's free hand and held it high above her, like a prize fighter. "Nora Taylor, ladies and gentlemen!"

Even _Danse's_ resolve broke at that. He shook his head as he also started laughing with the others.

"Well... shit," said Nora, resulting in another round of laughter from everyone.

* * *

After a while, the group agreed that they'd had enough to drink and decided to retire for the evening. After exchanging their pleasantries and saying their farewells, Brooks clapped Nora on the back before she and Danse left and made her promise that they'd do this again sometime.

Nora and Danse walked around the Prydwen for a bit after that (Danse back in the power armor, but luckily still hoodless), neither quite ready for bed yet. He looked over at her as they walked.

"So... what happened after I left?" he asked her. "Or, should I say, when Maxson _ordered_ me to leave? It seemed like the two of you were about to start ripping each other to shreds."

Nora chuckled softly and shook her head. "I... apologized for my insubordination. Then I explained some more about Nick - how he'd been really helpful to us so far, and how we wouldn't have been able to discover that the Institute uses teleportation without him. I don't think Arth- _Maxson_ totally agreed with me, but he at least agreed to not attack Nick as long as he acts on _our_ side."

The almost-use of Maxson's first name was not lost on Danse, and he raised an eyebrow slightly as he watched Nora continue.

"He asked why I chose _now_ to tell him about Nick when I could have just kept quiet about it, and I told him that I didn't want to lie to him about anything... that I wanted to earn his trust like he'd earned _mine_. I... also told him that I was the General of the Minutemen."

Danse definitely raised both his eyebrows then. "You _did_? ...What did he say to _that_?"

"Nothing," she said. "He just... asked if there was anything _else_ I needed to tell him. I... I gave him that photo I found of Nate and Roger Maxson. ...He thanked me and told me it really meant a lot to him." She paused, and when she spoke again, Danse noticed her voice had grown softer.

"...He's the last member of _his_ family, too."

She thought back to her comment to Arthur earlier: _"The Sole Survivor of Vault 111, and the sole survivor of the Maxson family... I guess we make quite a pair, huh?"_

She hadn't meant the implication that had happened, but she blushed thinking about it now. The look on Arthur's face when she'd said that... it wasn't an expression she'd ever seen him make before. She couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion behind it, but... thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she noticed Danse staring at her curiously. She cleared her throat, hoping he hadn't noticed her reddening face.

They reached the door to the forecastle of the Prydwen and she pushed it open, gesturing outside with a flick of her head.

"Just for a few minutes," she told Danse, who nodded and followed her out. It was a calm, clear night - not too windy, and one could see the numerous stars in the sky clearly.

She took a deep breath as she and Danse walked to the end of the metal walkway, enjoying the night air. She looked over at him when they reached the end and smiled.

"...You look a lot better without your hood on," she said. He looked over at her and raised his eyebrows again. "...Like a _person_ ," she added.

He chuckled and shook his head. "What else am I _supposed_ to look like?"

She grinned. "I dunno... you're almost so... robotic sometimes. I mean - I _know_ how dedicated to the Brotherhood you are," she quickly elaborated when he looked ready to protest, "but... it's just nice to see you cut loose a little." She leaned her back against the railing and smiled. "...I really liked seeing and hearing you laugh tonight."

Danse couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face as he thought about it. "...I don't think I've laughed like that in a long time." He paused, and his smile faded a little. "...I'm... not quite used to letting myself form friendships with the other soldiers here."

Nora nodded, recalling an earlier conversation they'd had about friendship and forming bonds. "I know it can be awful losing someone you care about..." she said gently. "But... isn't it better than being alone? Having a bond with someone... it gives life purpose and meaning. It drives you forward... gives you something worth fighting for. As painful as it can be to risk losing someone... the feeling of even _having_ someone to care about is _worth_ the risk, I think." She looked down for a minute, then looked back up at Danse.

"What happened with Nate, and with Shaun... it still tears me up inside, sometimes. But if I think of not having Nate in my life at _all_ , never having _had_ Shaun... as painful as the memories are, I would rather go through them all over again than not have had them in my life at _all_."

Danse stared at her, considering her words in his head. After a moment, he nodded and smiled sadly.

"I've... been so broken up about Cutler... I forgot how much it meant to me to have people in my life I could call friends, even _close_ friends." He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "...People like _you_ , Nora."

Her eyes widened at him, and it took him several moments before he realized what he'd done: addressed her by her first name. He hadn't even _meant_ to, it just kind of slipped out.

Before he could react, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head against his chest, before she looked up at him and scowled.

"Urgh... damn power armor."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing and shook his head. "Hold on..." He stepped back and removed himself from the armor. He was barely out when Nora flew into his arms again, hugging him tightly. He smiled softly as he wrapped his strong arms around her, flushing a little bit as he allowed himself to enjoy their little moment. After a few seconds, he heard her voice muffled against his chest.

"Seriously, though - I hope you ditch the hood. I like your hair."

He laughed and shook his head again. "Don't get used to a first-name basis, soldier... it was a momentary lapse in etiquette."

She pulled away from him reluctantly and grinned. " _Affirmative, sir,_ " she said, trying her best to sound overly professional.

He chuckled as he stepped back into the armor again. "Ready to call it a night?"

She smiled softly and shook her head.

"You go on... I just want to stay out here a little bit longer."

He nodded and turned to go, but not before adding, "Just don't be out _too_ late... you never know if we may be needed tomorrow, and you don't want to be too tired to fulfill your duty."

"Yes sir!" she called out, and he smiled one last time at her before he headed back inside the Prydwen.

* * *

Arthur sighed, frustrated. Once _more_ , he hadn't been able to get to sleep. This was becoming more frequent, and it wouldn't do to have a leader of the Brotherhood who was fatigued and distracted. He was taking another walk around the Prydwen, but it wasn't really helping.

It also didn't help that Ingram had come to him a little earlier to inform him that Danse and Taylor... _Nora_... that _their_ suits of power armor would soon be fully prepped and ready for their mission in the Glowing Sea to try and locate Dr. Virgil.

When Arthur hadn't seemed overly enthusiastic about the news, Ingram had taken it the wrong way and apologized for the wait - but she'd been swamped with the mechanical needs of the Prydwen and maintenance on the other soldiers' suits of power armor, and that they were a little short on extra help for her at the moment. He'd shaken his head and reassured her that it was fine, that he understood, and to let him know when the armor was fully ready.

He knew how very important this mission was. If the two soldiers _couldn't_ locate the scientist, or if he refused to cooperate, or something _else_ happened to go wrong, they were at another dead end with the Institute. Danse was one of his best and most trusted soldiers - not to mention one of the very few soldiers Arthur had allowed himself to get even remotely close to. If something were to happen to him, it would be a tragedy. If... something were to happen to _Nora_...

He frowned at the twist his stomach took at that thought and rubbed the back of his head, as if that would somehow help.

Fresh air. Maybe some fresh air would help. Not the vertibird deck... there was always someone on duty there, and he didn't feel much like making conversation with soldiers who saw him as simply 'The Great Elder Maxson'... it got tiring sometimes. He needed _peace_ , and there was almost nowhere to get that on the Prydwen - not even in his own quarters sometimes, since there was someone knocking on his door for something quite often.

...The forecastle, perhaps. The only time anyone was really out there was when someone was scouting through a sniper rifle, and even _that_ was far and few in between.

He was grateful when he reached the door without any interruption and started pushing it open when he heard voices from the outside. He froze and pulled the door almost shut again, then peeked through the small portion of space still available. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness outside and when they finally did, he held in a groan.

It was Danse and Taylor, _Nora_... _however_ he was supposed to address her in the privacy of his own mind, he wasn't entirely sure. His eyes rolled upwards in defeat.

 _' _By steel... am I being punished?'__

He couldn't hear their conversation clearly, but felt like he got his answer when Danse put a hand on Nora's shoulder and she suddenly threw her arms around his power armor-clad body.

His eyes widened a little at the gesture, then widened more when Danse exited his power armor and she wasted no time throwing herself into his arms once more, only to have him wrap his own arms back around her.

Arthur turned his face away sharply, not wanting to see any more.

He felt a heated wave of anger wash over him and hated himself for it, knowing that he had no right or reason to feel this way. It made sense - Danse was a handsome man, he supposed. Nora was obviously a beautiful woman... they spent so much time together, so it was _bound_ to happen... right? He was oblivious to his hands forming clenched fists at his sides.

...First Brandis, now Danse - was _every_ male soldier going to get the luxury of putting their arms around Nora except for _him?_

He suddenly felt like several buckets of ice water had just been dumped on him.

 _...What... what the hell was he thinking?_

Nora wasn't 'his' to put _anything_ on or around her. And did he just think of her as _beautiful?_ Why did he _care?_

He took a deep breath and let it out in an exasperated pant.

...What the hell was happening to him?

The only thing he knew for sure was that he had to get out of there. Insomnia or not, he couldn't stay there, couldn't watch... _them_... _together_.

He turned and had _just_ started stalking back down the metal corridor, when suddenly he heard a deep voice from behind him.

"...Elder Maxson? Sir?"

He froze, gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes. He hadn't expected Danse to leave the forecastle so soon, and he _definitely_ hadn't expected to get caught by him right by the door.

 _'...Shit.'_

He took another deep breath before he turned around slowly. Danse was looking at him with raised eyebrows, clearly surprised to see him. Arthur nodded politely in greeting.

"Danse," he said coolly.

Danse began to feel a little awkward. It seemed oddly coincidental that Arthur just _happened_ to be right here in _this_ location of the Prydwen, at _this_ time, at _this_ proximity to the door of the forecastle. But that's all it was... a coincidence, right? He couldn't possibly have been...

...Whatever the Elder had been doing, he certainly didn't look happy to see Danse.

"Is... everything all right, sir?" Danse asked him.

Arthur stared right through him. "...Fine, Paladin. Just... felt like a walk, is all."

 _'And... you ended up_ _right in front of this door, then immediately headed in the opposite direction?'_ Danse thought curiously.

Hmm... he and Nora were _both_ acting a little odd lately. First there was their odd little exchange on the vertibird deck before she and Danse had left for Diamond City... and then their strange back-and-forth when they got back... Nora almost called Maxson 'Arthur' earlier, which almost NO ONE did (even _Danse_ almost never called him that), she had insisted on getting everything in her past out in the open with him, and they both seemed to keep getting a little flustered around each other...

Danse slowly raised his eyebrows again as he started to put it together.

 _'...Ohhhhhhhh...'_

...Is _that_ why Maxson was staring daggers at him? Danse almost chuckled, but didn't want to irk the Elder more. He didn't think there was a graceful way to tell him, _'FYI: That embrace that you_ _probably_ _just saw was totally innocent, just a hug between good friends...'_

He cleared his throat a little and nodded at Arthur.

"Well... I was just about to turn in for the evening, sir." He started walking past him, but paused and glanced over his shoulder at him. "...If... you need someone to talk to... Knight Taylor _is_ still outside."

 _' _But... I believe you probably already knew that,'__ he thought. He nodded at Arthur again, then continued walking - only allowing a little smirk to appear at the corner of his mouth when he was sure Arthur couldn't see it.

Arthur watched Danse go for a moment, then turned back towards the door to the forecastle. His hand slowly reached out to the handle, but paused in midair. He withdrew his hand, then extended it again, then paused once more.

He huffed and shook his head. This was stupid. He had killed a couple raiders and saved his squad at age 12, fought off a deathclaw single-handedly at age 13, stopped a super mutant and his army at 15, and reunited the Brotherhood and Outcasts and became an Elder at 16 - and now he was afraid to go and speak to a woman. Unbelievable.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, pushed the door open, and forced himself to walk outside before he lost his nerve again.

Nora was facing the Commonwealth, her back to the door. She heard heavy bootsteps slowly approaching her and smiled softly.

"What - you change your mind?" She turned and froze when she saw not Danse, but _Arthur_ coming towards her.

"Oh! Eld- uh... Arthur," she finished quietly, still not quite used to calling him that. ...Definitely not who she'd been expecting.

"Nora," he responded softly with a nod.

Hearing their first name spoken from the other's lips sent a shiver down both of their spines.

He came to a stop a few feet in front of her, and the two of them simply stared at each other for several long seconds. Nora was grateful for the dark sky overhead, because she was sure she immediately started blushing again.

 _'...It's going to be very difficult serving in the Brotherhood if you're going to turn red every single time you see him now, you moron,'_ she scolded herself. She struggled to think of something, _anything_ to say to him.

"It's... beautiful out tonight," she stated weakly.

 _'...I_ _hate you so much,'_ her brain told her. She turned away and faced the Commonwealth once more, her pulse quickening.

"I... don't get to come out here much, but... the view really is amazing."

She saw Arthur move to stand beside her out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, he nodded in agreement.

"It's... very peaceful," he said. "It almost makes you forget about everything out there we're fighting against. I come out here myself every so often, when I need a little peace and quiet."

She turned her head to look at him. "You... must not get a lot of that."

He shook his head and met her eyes. "...I don't. Especially not lately." He sighed softly and shrugged. "...All part of being an Elder."

She stared at him for a few seconds. "...Do you ever regret it?"

He raised his eyebrows. "...Becoming Elder?" he questioned. She nodded, and he pondered this briefly. "I... I sometimes feel like I never really had a _choice_ in the matter... it was just something I was always expected to do, like the rest of my family."

She was silent for a moment, then unconsciously stepped a little closer to him. "What was your _childhood_ like?"

He looked at her in surprise. No one had ever asked him anything like that before... the only person that had even come close was Quinlan, and _that_ was only so he could create those silly memoirs of his. He looked back towards the Commonwealth, letting his mind drift as he reminisced to his younger years.

"My parents died when I was very young," he said softly. "My father was a high-ranking Paladin just outside the New California Republic. He was killed in battle. My mother died not too long afterward. _Before_ they died, internal conflict amongst the Western Brotherhoood of Steel created an unsafe environment for me... so since I was the only Maxson heir left, it was believed that the Citadel in the Capital Wasteland would increase my probability of survival. Elder Lyons - at the time - was in high favor with the Western Elders, and deemed a perfect candidate to provide for my care and training. When the Brotherhood divided between the main chapters and the Outcasts, I remained at the Citadel indefinitely - until we traveled to the Commonwealth in the Prydwen, that is."

She frowned at him sadly. "...You were all by yourself?"

He shook his head a little. "I _did_ have the company of the other Brotherhood members at the Citadel, including Elder Lyons' older daughter, Sarah. She was a Sentinel there, and taught me a lot about being a soldier." He smiled softly at the memory, then frowned. "She served as Elder for a bit after her father passed... but she was also unfortunately killed in battle."

"...There were no other squires there with you, like here on the Prydwen?" Nora inquired. "You just... had a bunch of adults to talk to?" Arthur nodded, and she shook her head. "That sounds... very lonely."

Picturing Arthur as a young boy - no parents or other family members, no other children around, only the other adult soldiers... not having a chance to ever _be_ a kid, just having war and battle drilled into him constantly since pretty much the beginning of his life... it made Nora feel sad for him. What had happened to her was _awful_ , but... at least she'd had a good life up _until_ then, had gotten to experience and enjoy her own childhood and younger years. She felt her chest tighten and resisted the urge to slide her hand over his, or pull him into her arms and hug him tightly.

Arthur was quiet for a moment. It... _had_ been lonely. Elder Lyons and Sarah had been good to him, raising him like a member of their own family, but... it was just how things _were_. He'd had no choice but to accept his fate and make the best of it. Even when he had gotten older, people _still_ held him at an arm's length, knowing who he was and who his family had been. He looked over at Nora.

"I imagine _your_ childhood was... quite different."

She nodded. "V _ery_ different. There was _still_ the threat of nuclear war looming overhead, but... usually our biggest problem as kids was what we had for homework, what TV show we were going to watch after school, or what our plans were for the weekend."

Arthur smiled softly, but he couldn't help wondering what life might have been like if _he_ had gotten to have a childhood like that. How would he have turned out? How different would things have been for him?

He heard her chuckle quietly and was shaken out of his thoughts. She was looking up at the night sky.

"It's funny..." she said. "So much... _so_ much has changed in the world... but all the stars still look the same. It's... one of the few things I can always rely on, anymore."

He raised his own eyes upwards to look at them, but his eyes were drawn back to Nora when she stepped back, lowered herself to the metal walkway, and lay on her back with an arm behind her head for support. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and blinked when she looked up at him and patted the space beside her.

He hesitated to move - especially since the walkway wasn't very _wide_ , and they'd be somewhat squeezed beside each other - a thought that made heat rise up in Arthur's face.

Nora laughed softly, which only made his pulse quicken.

"Oh come on, Arthur... stop being 'the Elder' for _five minutes_ and just... be 'Arthur'," she said.

He didn't even really know _how_ to just 'be Arthur'... being a leader and being a Maxson was practically all he knew how to do. Nevertheless...

He took a deep breath as he slowly moved to sit, then slowly lay back beside her on the metal. He sincerely hoped no one decided to suddenly come out to the forecastle, because if so he might just have to throw himself over the railing in embarrassment.

He looked over at Nora when he'd laid back, only to find her looking at him with a smile that made his heart hitch in his chest. There was very little room between the two of them, and it was making his brain fog up quickly.

After a few seconds she turned to look back up at the night sky again, an action he mirrored. They were both quiet for a moment, before Arthur broke the silence.

"...What was it like?" he asked softly.

She turned her head to look at him again. "What was what like?"

"Before the Great War," he said. "What did people... _do?_ Every day? When they weren't fighting over things like food, territory, or power?"

She looked at the stars again, letting her mind reminisce. "It was... peaceful. At least - a lot more than _now_. People did... pretty much whatever they _wanted_ to. There were all kinds of different jobs, places to go... if you wanted food, you just usually went to one big store, where they'd sell almost anything you could think up. If you were bored, you could go to the theater and see a movie, or go to the park and just enjoy the green grass under your feet. Or if you felt like it, you could get in the car and just drive for miles." She chuckled softly.

"Once upon a time, it didn't take _six hours_ to get from Sanctuary Hills to Fenway Park- er, Diamond City," she added, seeing the temporary confusion on Arthur's face. "...You could _drive_ there in a little over 30 minutes." She paused for a few seconds and shook her head.

"...Boy do I miss cars. They were a _lot_ faster than walking. But... the thing I think I miss the _most_ are the changing seasons. Spring was always nice, the way flowers would start blooming... and summer was always fun because it'd be hot and you could go to the beach to enjoy the ocean view, or even go for a swim - and _not_ have to think about radiation," she added with a chuckle, and the corner of Arthur's mouth turned up in a slight smile.

"But my _favorite_ -" she went on, "was the fall. Autumn. We're in Autumn now, technically. The weather would start getting cooler, people would start getting ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the leaves on the trees would all start changing from green to _beautiful_ shades of red, orange, and yellow. When the sun would hit Sanctuary Hills just right..." She shook her head and sighed longingly.

He stared at her with rapt attention, fascinated. Listening to her describe the past... he could almost picture it himself.

"...I bet it doesn't even snow here anymore," she added softly. "...Does it?"

He shook his head. "No... I've _heard_ of it - but never seen it. It must have been amazing - seeing the world covered in a blanket of white."

She nodded and smiled sadly. "...It was." She chuckled as a memory suddenly came back to her.

"This one time, I was out sledding with Nate and our niece- oh! Umm... 'sledding' is like... sliding down a hill over the snow, on a piece of flat wood or plastic. It sounds totally strange, I know, but it was a lot of fun. Anyway- I was at the bottom of the hill waiting for them, when they suddenly hit a big bump and their sled overturned. My niece was fine, but Nate landed face-first into a snowbank. Thank God the snow was soft and not totally frozen. When he pulled himself out, he looked like the Abominable Snowman."

She laughed softly and shook her head. Even Arthur couldn't help smiling at the story.

"I didn't know you had-" he spoke without thinking and froze before he could finish his thought - but the damage was already done.

Nora's smile faded, already knowing what he'd meant to say - _'other family'_. She nodded, staring at the stars again.

"I... _used_ to," she said softly.

Arthur's eyes widened slightly in panic.

 _' _You complete and_ _total_ _imbecile!'_ _ he chastised himself angrily. __'That was a great way to spoil what was a perfectly nice moment with your idiocy.'__

He took a deep breath and reached over without realizing it, gently covering her nearby hand with his own and giving it a small squeeze.

"I'm... _very_ sorry for everything you've lost," he said quietly.

Nora looked over at him and felt warmth flood through her at the sympathetic and almost pained expression on his face. When she looked down at his hand on hers, her pulse sped up again.

He swallowed hard at her expression and immediately worried that he'd overstepped a boundary or two. He considered pulling his hand away and apologizing. His eyes were drawn downward suddenly as she slowly turned her hand over, her palm facing his, then slid her fingers between his, intertwining their two hands.

Their eyes met again and Arthur felt a shockwave pass through him as his breaths grew heavier. He wondered if Nora had even the _slightest_ idea of the effect she had on him - trying to convince himself that he felt _nothing_ for her was getting to be an impossible task. His thumb unconsciously began making small circles on the back of her palm.

It made Nora's skin tingle wherever he touched... and made her wish that it wasn't just a tiny portion of her hand that he was touching.

As much as Arthur was immensely enjoying his time with her, a nagging thought began poking its way into his mind: What was going to happen when Ingram finished prepping the power armor, and she and Danse had to leave for the Glowing Sea? Even if the mission was a complete success - what _then?_

He couldn't stop her from going on missions. Not with Danse, not with _anyone_. He was the Elder of the Eastern Brotherhood, and yet... he still couldn't protect her. Couldn't guarantee that no harm would ever come to her. And the _thought_ of any harm ever coming to her...

"...Arthur? ...Is something wrong?" Her soft voice stirred him out of his thoughts.

He blinked as he noticed that she was staring at him with a look of concern on her face. It made his chest ache a little again. He frowned, and every impulse in his body screamed out in protest as he slowly slid his hand out of hers and sat up.

Nora felt a small sliver of panic run through her.

 _Had... she done something wrong? Had she taken things a step too far? What if he didn't feel... 'that way' about her? Was she just making a fool of herself?_

She sat up next to him and bit her lip nervously. He looked very... bothered all of a sudden.

 _'...Shit...'_

"...Arthur?" she tried again. He looked over at her, a conflicted look on his face. She opened her mouth and faltered for a moment. "I... I'm... really sorry. I didn't mean to... make you uncomfortable."

He narrowed his eyes a little, confused at her words for a few seconds.

 _'She thinks...?'_

His eyebrows shot upwards and he quickly shook his head. "Nora... no, please... you haven't done anything wrong..."

Relief started to flow through her, but she frowned again. "Then... what is it?"

He looked away from her and sighed. He was quiet for several seconds. Finally he spoke again, not meeting her eyes.

"...Proctor Ingram is almost finished prepping your power armor for the Glowing Sea."

She raised her eyebrows a little. "Oh... that's... good, right?"

He nodded hesitantly. "There's... a lot riding on this mission. Not to put any added pressure on you, but... I don't need to tell you how important it is that you and Danse succeed."

She stared at him for a moment, feeling like there was more to his thoughts than he was letting on.

"...But?" she asked.

He couldn't resist the soft smile that formed at a corner of his mouth. She really _was_ good at reading people... good at reading _him_. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"But..." he took a deep breath. "To say that the Glowing Sea is dangerous is... a vast understatement. There's... _so_ much that can go wrong. We've never really been able to scout the area before for obvious reasons, so... you and Danse are going in almost 'blind'. We really don't know what to expect."

He stood up and walked to the edge of the forecastle, staring off into the Commonwealth in front of him.

She watched him for a couple seconds, then stood up and walked forward to stand beside him.

"Are... you worried, Arthur?"

When he didn't answer or look at her, she thought for a moment. "Is this about the mission itself? Or..." she looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes either. "...Is this about... something else?"

Arthur exhaled heavily. "...Nora..." After several more seconds, he turned slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "...Are you sure you're up for this?"

She frowned and turned to him. "Arthur... you _know_ how important this is to me. I _have_ to do this. I have to see this through. I made a promise to Nate... I can't rest until the Institute is just a smoking crater in the ground and I have my son back."

"I know..." he said hesitantly. "It's just..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to vocalize what he was feeling or thinking.

She watched him wrestle with his thoughts for a moment, then raised her eyebrows as a thought hit her.

 _'Is he... could he be...'_

She stepped closer to him and gently put a hand over his.

"Arthur... are you... worried about... _me?_ " She saw a muscle tighten in his jaw and blushed.

He said nothing for several seconds, then let out a heavy sigh again, his shoulders slumping a little in defeat. He swallowed nervously and forced himself to meet her eyes. His mouth suddenly felt very dry.

"You've already been through _so_ much..." he said, his voice sounding raw. "...I don't... want anything else to happen to you, Nora. I don't... know what I would do."

She blinked in astonishment and felt like her heart skipped a beat or two. Hearing him say this to her... each private exchange they had feeling a little more heated and intense every time... it was almost overwhelming.

She couldn't seem to stop herself... she didn't think she could have if she tried.

She slowly stepped forward and slid her arms inside his battlecoat, wrapped her arms tightly around his middle, and buried her face against the strong, muscled chest of his flight suit.

Arthur froze, feeling paralyzed and in shock for a few seconds at the intimacy of the gesture. His heart suddenly started pounding at the feeling of having her so close to him, and he almost forgot to remember to breathe. He slowly wrapped his arms back around her, wanting to enjoy every touch, every sensation possible. His eyes involuntarily slid closed as he rested his chin on top of her head.

They stayed that way for what felt like several minutes, neither one of them wanting to be the first to let go of the other.

Nora didn't want the moment to _ever_ end - but she knew they also couldn't stay out here all night, either. Arthur was always a very busy man, and even if she wanted him all to _herself_ , she understood and respected what it meant to be a Brotherhood Elder.

She pulled away from him a little - not _completely_ , just enough to look up into those alluring eyes of his.

"That's kind of the downside of being a soldier," she said softly. "You're always putting yourself in harm's way, risking your health or your life for a greater purpose."

He nodded slowly, understanding her words completely.

She paused and gave him a small smile. "I know there's never any guarantees in life, Arthur, but... have faith in me. Trust me. No matter what happens... I will _always_ do everything I can to try and make it back to the Prydwen again. ...To _you_ ," she added at the end, her voice lowering to barely above a whisper.

Arthur stared at her for a moment, his eyes heavy-lidded as he gently reached a hand up to brush a stray lock of her honey-colored hair behind one ear. His palm then rested halfway between her cheek and neck, and he ever-so-gently rubbed his thumb against the soft skin of her cheek.

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, not realizing how starved of it she had become until now.

He watched her, eyes transfixed for a moment before he finally responded, his voice gruff and low in a way that made her blood boil.

"...And I will always be here, waiting for you Nora."

* * *

END NOTE:  
\- ...OmG, this chapter almost killed me, lol. ...Yes, I know... I'm an evil tease. ;-) (I won't keep jerking you guys around forever, I swear, lol)  
\- Fun Fact: In the game, Womack and Petris are both members of the Brotherhood that are mentioned on the recreation terminal in the Prydwen. Womack's note mentions an off-the-books feral hunt, and Petris holds the current Prydwen-to-ground power armor drop record (highest jump w/o destroying the armor). I just thought that it'd be a nice nod to the game, so I made up 1st names for them. :-)


	16. Chapter 16 - The Glowing Sea

Coffee. Thank God for coffee.

Nora sat in the dining area of the Prydwen finishing her 2nd cup and about to start on her 3rd. Needless to say, she was a bit of a nervous wreck. After her talk with Arthur last night, she was trying not to let thoughts of the Glowing Sea stress her out, but his previous words kept repeating in her head:

 _"To say that the Glowing Sea is dangerous is a vast understatement. There's_ _so _ _much that can go wrong. We've never really been able to scout the area before for obvious reasons, so you and Danse are going in almost 'blind'. We really don't know what to expect."_

She _had_ to do this. For Shaun. For Nate. There was absolutely _no_ question in her mind. But there _was_ fear - fear that something would happen to either her or Danse... fear that she wasn't a good enough soldier, that she would fail the mission, that she wouldn't survive, that Shaun would be a prisoner of the Institute forever...

...fear that she might never see Arthur again...

Mama Murphy's odd warning also drifted through her head occasionally: _"If you succeed, it will mean great changes ahead. But if you fail, the whole Commonwealth will suffer. Maybe_ _worse_ _."_

...The mission to the Glowing Sea - that _was_ what Mama Murphy had been talking about, right? It _had_ to be...

A mug slid towards her and the coffee urn in front of her, and she blinked - shaken from her thoughts - as she looked up to see Danse taking a seat across from her at the table. She filled the mug for him and almost smiled at the fact that sometimes, words weren't needed between the two of them - working together had made them almost in sync at times.

He took a long sip when she slid the mug back over and inhaled deeply after he swallowed it, before he finally addressed her.

"...Morning."

She couldn't help giggling a little and shook her head. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not bad," he replied. He was silent for a moment, then peeked up at her from his mug. "Did you... have a good night after I left?"

Nora shrugged. "It was fine, I guess... wh-"

She paused and blinked when she saw the way he was looking at her - a little _too_ expectantly. She slowly narrowed her eyes.

"... _Why_?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.

He quickly took another sip of coffee and shrugged back. "No reason, just making friendly conversation with my subordinate."

She thought she saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards the _tiniest_ bit - almost imperceptible, but it was there. She stared at him blankly as she thought back to the previous night.

She'd hugged Danse outside at the forecastle after their talk. He went back inside to turn in for the night. Arthur had come outside to join her... just a few minutes later.

...Had Danse run into him on the way?

After she and Arthur had exchanged their final words outside, they had just stood there for another moment - arms still around each other - just staring at each other. Nora had wanted... _so_ badly to (enough that it had shocked her)... but they had reluctantly pulled away from each other, agreeing that they both needed their rest in case Ingram _did_ finish things up the next day.

She stared at Danse questioningly for another few seconds and opened her mouth to speak, when she suddenly heard a thud beside her. She turned to see Brooks plop down in the chair beside her - followed by Knight Womack, who chose the chair next to Danse.

"Mornin' guys!" Brooks chirped brightly, as Womack grunted and grabbed the coffee urn from in front of Nora.

Danse looked somewhat grateful for the interruption and Nora resisted the urge to squint at him.

 _' _All right... you win_ _this_ _round, Paladin...'_ _ she thought, then looked at Womack.

"...Rough night?"

He grunted again and poured himself a cup, while Brooks chuckled.

"I think he's still recovering from the card game last night," he said.

She smiled softly at him. "You seem awfully... 'chipper'."

He laughed in response. "Yeah... I don't usually get hungover like _some_ people..." He eyed Womack, who stared daggers at him.

"Shut up," Womack muttered, casting a side glance at a suddenly frowning Danse. "I am _not_ hung over. I... just didn't sleep very well."

"Yeah... due to beer," Brooks murmured quietly, who quickly grunted and winced. Nora had a suspicion that Womack might have kicked him under the table.

She snorted and shook her head as she looked back towards Danse, then froze as she saw the approaching figure behind him.

Danse blinked at the sudden change of expression on her face and turned to see what or who had gotten her attention - only to see Proctor Ingram arrive at the side of their table.

" _There_ you two are," she said, looking between Danse and Nora.

Danse nodded politely at her. "Proctor Ingram."

Nora just stared at her, having a hunch what they were about to be told.

Sure enough - after nodding back at Danse, Ingram said, "Good news - your power armor is finally finished being prepped. Once you're both done here, you can collect what you need and head on out to the Glowing Sea."

Nora felt like her stomach dropped into her shoes. The looks Womack and Brooks both gave them didn't seem to help much, either.

"You're both going to the _Glowing Sea?_ " Womack asked incredulously, suddenly looking 100% awake and sober. "...What in steel's name is taking you out _there?_ "

Danse cleared his throat. "A lead that may help us take down the Institute," he said vaguely.

Brooks drew in a breath through clenched teeth. " _Yikes_..." he said softly. It was probably the most serious Nora had ever seen him since she'd met him, and it was a bit unsettling. She just sat there silently.

After a moment, Ingram pursed her lips.

"...Why, _thank_ you Ingram, for putting aside your _already_ swamped schedule to _rush_ to get our armor ready, even if it meant making you even _more_ behind in your work," she said flippantly.

Nora flushed a little and squirmed in her chair. "I'm sorry, Proctor," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude-"

Ingram held up a hand and shook her head. "Bah... don't worry about it. I'm just cranky without my morning coffee. Besides, I pretty much got the same reaction from Elder Maxson last night."

Danse couldn't resist casting a side glance over at Nora when he heard this, who had peeked over at him and then quickly looked away again, her face turning pink.

 _'...Hmm.'_

He nodded at Ingram. "We'll start getting ready as soon as we're done here."

* * *

Danse and Nora, now wearing their lead-lined power armor, stood next to each other in the vertibird as it flew over the Commonwealth. They had their helmets off for now, just so they could hear the banter from the cockpit, or any comments from Arthur or Captain Kells, if need be. Despite the roar of the vertibird's engines, the noise from its propellers, or the occasional comment from the vertibird's pilot, things were... pretty quiet inside the aircraft, all things considered.

Arthur cast a glance at Nora out of the corner of his eye when he thought no one else was looking. She'd not only been fairly silent since they'd all left the Prydwen, but had been doing her best to avoid everyone's eye contact as well - especially _his_. It was very unnerving to him. Normally, he and Kells wouldn't have even come _along_ on the vertibird to a drop-off spot - but since this was a very important and somewhat unusual mission, he thought it might be wise if they both tagged along for the ride. Besides - not that he'd ever admit it to anyone, but... he'd be _damned_ if he wasn't going to be one of the last people to see Nora before she left with Danse.

They reached the drop-off location near Waypoint Echo at the edge of the Glowing Sea. As everyone minus the pilot hopped out of the vertibird, Arthur took a deep breath. He knew he had to let her go, but... he was having a very difficult time with it and hoped it wasn't showing. Like it or not (or _hate_ it), he was still the Elder and had to remain as objective and as professional as possible.

He cleared his throat gently and nodded at Danse and Nora, who stood to face him (though Nora was still avoiding his eyes, much to his chagrin).

"It goes without saying that not only is this mission extremely important, but also very dangerous," he began. "As you know, Ingram has prepped your suits of armor so that the radiation exposure to you both will be minimal... but the levels of radiation in the Glowing Sea could be too much for even power armor to withstand for extended periods of time, which is why we had you both take lots of Rad-X and some RadAway with you as a precaution. Use it when you need to, and plan accordingly. You have your vertibird signal grenades - simply use one when you complete the mission and need to return to the Prydwen."

They both nodded and he paused. He looked over at Captain Kells, who was standing beside him. "...Anything to add, Captain?"

Kells shook his head. "No, sir... just that it's a very serious mission that you both undertake today, and one that _any_ member of the Brotherhood would be honored to be a part of. Do us all proud, soldiers." With that, he saluted Danse and Nora, which they both reciprocated.

Arthur turned back to them and was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was a bit heavier.

"Pleasantries aside... I just want to reiterate how you both have done the Brotherhood proud with your work in your missions together so far. I have no doubt that together, you can accomplish much more than the average team. I have strong faith in _both_ of you. ...Good luck, soldiers. Ad victoriam." Like Kells, he saluted the pair, who repeated the motto and saluted him back.

He looked Danse squarely in the eyes, and though the two couldn't know for sure _exactly_ what the other was thinking, they knew each other well enough to have a pretty good idea.

Arthur's face seemed to say, _'...You'd better take care of her, Danse...'_ , while Danse's seemed to read, _'...I'll guard her with my life, sir.'_

Before the pair turned towards the Glowing Sea and Arthur and Kells turned back to the vertibird, Arthur's eyes finally caught Nora's. The second they did, he felt his heart clench in his chest.

She looked... somewhat alarmed, to say the least. It was all he could do not to rush over to her and scoop her into his arms. Their words to each other last night seemed to hang in the air between them:

 _"No matter what happens... I will always do everything I can to try and make it back to the Prydwen again. ...To_ _you _ _."  
"...And I will always be here, waiting for you."_

He clenched his jaw and gave the slightest of nods to her, which she repeated to him after a second. He hated it - it was so impersonal and not what he wished he could be doing at that moment, but all that protocol would allow with Danse and Kells there. He watched as she and Danse finally put on their helmets, then started walking in the opposite direction.

...By steel... she had _better_ return to him safe and sound.

* * *

The closer Danse and Nora walked towards the Glowing Sea, the more anxious she felt. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

 _'Be strong,'_ she thought, _'...this is for Shaun. This is to stop the Institute. He's depending on you._ _Arthur_ _is depending on you. The Brotherhood is depending on you. ..._ _Everyone_ _is depending on you.'_

She and Danse reached a slight ridge sloping upwards, and when they reached the top of it, Nora gasped at the sight in front of her.

Danse shook his head slowly. "It's places like this that make me doubt the future of humanity," he said softly, his voice a bit distorted through his helmet.

The view in front of them was a green-tinted disaster area. To call it a wasteland was putting it mildly - the place was almost the stuff of nightmares. There was barely anything that hadn't been razed to the ground. Even the trees were almost non-existent - a few stumps and broken trunks scattered here and there. The odd car or part of a building poked out of the ground, but it was mostly desolation laying before them.

Nora couldn't believe this location was once part of Massachusetts. She never would've recognized it in a million years. Nothing - _nothing_ \- looked the slightest bit recognizable. There was no noise around, save for the slow breathing coming from Danse and Nora, and the noise from their power armor. There were absolutely no signs of life. It gave her chills.

She and Danse looked over at each other, unable to see their faces under their helmets. They were silent for a moment, then Danse spoke.

"...You ready?"

She sighed softly and nodded. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to the Prydwen."

They started forward, both hearing the clicking of the rad meter from Nora's Pip-Boy under her armor.

* * *

They'd been walking for a while now... Nora wasn't sure how much time had passed. She wasn't even entirely sure if they were heading in the right direction - neither she nor Danse knew how exactly to _find_ Dr. Virgil, or what they were even supposed to be looking for. It was very discouraging to her... they could be looking in totally the _wrong_ location and not even know it.

She opened her mouth and was about to ask Danse about this, when suddenly she spotted something out of the corner of her eye and stopped. Danse saw her pause and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked. She had her head turned and was looking off in the distance. He took a few steps closer to her. "...Taylor?"

She turned her face towards him slowly, and when she spoke he heard worry in her voice.

"I... I don't know if I'm hallucinating or not, but... I think I see... _people_ in the distance."

"...People?" he said. "In _this_ radiation? Taylor, that's not even _remotely_ possible..."

He turned his head in the direction she'd been staring at and squinted in the distance. Now that she mentioned it, he _did_ see a trailer and a few shacks in what looked like a giant depression in the earth a ways off through greenish fog. He took a few steps closer and squinted harder. His jaw dropped when he spotted a figure, then another, emerge from one of the shacks. It looked like they were wearing some kind of rags, and Danse worried that they might be feral ghouls at first. He started to reach for his laser rifle, but Nora put an armored hand on his arm to stop him.

"No, wait!" she said. "Look Danse... they're not even _ghouls_."

Sure enough - once the fog parted a little, he noticed that they didn't have the trademark wrinkled skin, they weren't missing hair or their noses like ghouls usually did.

"...Who the hell would be able to survive unprotected out here without turning into a ghoul?" she asked incredulously.

Danse watched them for a moment before he groaned. "Oh no... they're 'Children of Atom'."

Nora's helmeted head turned towards him. "...They're _what_?"

" 'Children of Atom'," he repeated. "Religious zealots. They were in the Capital Wasteland, too. There was a town called Megaton there that had an undetonated nuke in it. The Children of Atom frequently worshiped around it." He shook his head. "As much as some people dislike the Brotherhood for their beliefs, the Children of Atom are a million times _worse_. They believe that each atom contains within it an entire universe, and when an atom is split, many universes are created... or some ridiculous nonsense like that. Instead of seeing the Great War as _destructive_ , they believe it was a 'creative and unifying holy event'."

She was stunned into silence for a moment. It went without saying that when the bombs dropped over 200 years ago, the effects were beyond devastating. Their very surroundings now were _proof_ of that.

"That's... almost sickening," she said, feeling somewhat revolted. She looked back at the trailer and shacks and froze when a thought hit her. "Danse... the location of these 'dwellings'..."

He turned back towards them and surveyed the surroundings. They were all sitting in a very large crater in the ground, as if-

A chill suddenly went down Danse's spine.

"Oh my God..." he murmured. "Taylor... you don't think..." His gaze traveled back over to her, to see her helmet staring back at his.

"...We found the location of the bomb impact from over 200 years ago," she said quietly.

He was silent, not quite sure what to say. He heard her take a deep breath, then she turned back to look at the worshipers.

"Do... you think they might know where to find Virgil?" she asked.

Danse shrugged. "It's hard to say," he said. "The sect in the Capital Wasteland were delusional, but not aggressive. Here in the Commonwealth, however, they've been known to attack other Wastelanders with radioactive weapons."

Nora thought for a moment. "...We should still try. They might know something useful, and they could be our _only_ lead out here."

He considered this for a few seconds, then nodded. "You have a point. ...All right. We approach with extreme caution - there's no knowing what kind of danger these people could pose to us."

He and Nora both unholstered their rifles just in case, and slowly made their way down the side of the crater towards one of the shacks, where an older woman in rags sat outside the entrance.

The woman stiffened when she saw them both approaching.

"Stop right there, strangers," she said. "You approach Atom's holy ground. Why? State your purpose, or be divided in his sight."

Nora cleared her throat gently. "We mean you all no disrespect or harm. ...What is this place?"

The woman regarded them both carefully for a moment. "I am Mother Isolde. This is where we commune with Atom himself. I am surprised you have survived long enough to reach it."

Danse nodded at Nora, letting her take point for the conversation - she seemed to be better than him at this sort of thing.

She nodded back and continued. "We're looking for someone named Virgil."

Isolde narrowed her eyes a little. "Virgil? Yes... we know this Virgil. What do you want with him?"

"We just need some information from him. We need his help reaching the Institute," Nora replied.

"...I see," Isolde said, seeming to mull over Nora's words in her head. "I have heard of this Institute. They hide themselves, trying to avoid the power of Atom. A futile effort." She took a deep breath. "In truth, this Virgil has caused some concern. Some believe his presence is an affront to Atom. Though he came to trade with us on a few occasions, we have had little other contact with him. It was quite clear he wanted to be left alone. ...You can find him southwest of the crater, living in a cave. I would approach cautiously, were I you. I feel he does not want visitors."

Nora glanced in the direction, then turned back to Isolde and nodded. "Thank you very much for your help. We'll leave you in peace now, and, er... may the... 'power of Atom' be with you."

She and Danse turned and started marching southwest. He shook his head as they walked.

"...I can't imagine how _anything_ can survive in this irradiated zone," he muttered.

"Not to jinx us or anything," she added, "but... I'm a bit surprised we haven't run into anything _else_ so far. I know the radiation level here is pretty insane, but I've heard that feral ghouls, radscorpions, stingwings, mole rats, and even _deathclaws_ have been known to exist here. I haven't seen hide nor hair of one yet."

"And let's hope our luck continues to hold out," said Danse.

After searching for a little while longer, she looked over at him. "Hey... my Pip-Boy seems to be picking something up further ahead. Maybe that's it."

They both froze when they heard what sounded like some sort of growling noises coming from further away, and whipped around while holding their laser rifles. They didn't immediately see anything, and the greenish haze in the air limited their field of vision.

"...Be on guard," Danse said carefully. "We shouldn't stick around here too long. No telling how many deathclaws call this their home."

Nora nodded and continued towards where her Pip-Boy directed her.

* * *

They were getting close to the possible area on her map of where Virgil's cave was supposed to be. Nora's eyes searched the rocks, looking for any openings that might indicate a cave.

"I don't think we have much further," she told Danse. "According to this, we should be right near it."

Danse's head moved back and forth slowly, trying to search the area. After a minute or two, he pointed at an area past her shoulder. "There," he said. "I think that may be it."

She turned to view where he was pointing and grinned when she spotted it. It wasn't easy to see, since visibility was already hindered due to their environment and all of the rocks tended to look the same - but she could _just_ make out the outline of an opening in between a few of the larger boulders ahead.

"Ha! Perfect," she said. The mission hadn't gone badly - so far - but she was definitely feeling eager to do what they needed to do and finally get out of here. She turned to Danse and gave a thumbs up. "Good eyes, Paladin!"

She heard him chuckle as they both started heading towards it, but jumped when they felt the ground rumble beneath them, followed by another growl - this one sounding closer to them.

"Uhh... Danse..." Nora said, looking over his shoulder. He whirled around to see a large shape in the distance... one that looked like it was getting increasingly closer to them.

 _'Oh damn...'_ he thought. He turned quickly and pointed towards the entrance in the rocks.

"Go! _Now!_ "

She huffed as she launched herself forward in her armor, Danse right behind her. As they got closer, they saw the cave entrance looming in front of them. She tried to run faster, hoping the entrance would be too small for whatever was threatening to maul them. She tried to look behind her as she climbed up the rocks, making sure Danse was still behind her.

"I'm still here!" he yelled, reading her thoughts. "Don't look back, just keep going! We're almost there!"

Her eyes widened as a giant alpha deathclaw broke through the dense fog and reached out with a massive arm, brandishing claws that looked like steak knives.

" _Danse!_ " she cried out, and without a second thought whipped _Righteous Authority_ out in front of her. She aimed as best she could in a matter of seconds and let burst a few shots right into the deathclaw's face.

It roared and lashed out, narrowly missing Danse - but at least it _did_ miss. She didn't have time to do anything else as he immediately caught up to her and tackled her into the mouth of the cave. The deathclaw screamed its fury at them as it realized its prey had gotten away, and after one last futile swipe at the entrance, it turned and stalked away.

They both lay on the ground in the cave for a moment, panting and trying to catch their breaths. After a couple minutes, Danse ripped off his helmet and scowled at her, his eyes blazing.

"Are you _crazy_ , Taylor? You could have gotten yourself _killed!_ "

She pulled her helmet off as well and shook her head. "And if I hadn't done that... _you_ would have been."

That earned her another glare from Danse. " _That_ is not the point. I am _still_ your superior officer. When I give you an order, you _follow_ it. Do you hear me?"

She glared back. "First of all, you're welcome. Second, I'm _not_ going to just stand by and allow you to get maimed or worse. Like it or not, you would have done _exactly_ the same thing in my place. I _know_ you would have." When he sputtered angrily for a moment, she hit him between the eyes (figuratively, of course). "Danse... what if it had been you and Paladin Krieg? Would you truly have listened to _him_ if it meant his possible death?"

 _That_ got his attention. He said nothing but stared icily at her.

She nodded and sighed as she stood up. She held out a hand to him, which he took reluctantly as he stood up also. "That... _was_ a close one. Let's just... try not to do that again, shall we?"

He grunted in response. "...Are you hurt?" he asked after a moment. She shook her head and looked towards the inner part of the cave.

"I guess... we just go forward, now," she said.

They walked onward a bit, then Danse held an arm in front of her as he spotted light up ahead.

"Careful," he warned. "We don't know what to expect... be prepared for anything." He peered around the corner and nodded at Nora.

They both raised their rifles and proceeded with caution. As they got closer, they could spot what looked like a living area up ahead. Nora could see some kind of mechanical equipment and a workbench in the distance.

As they slowly entered the clearing in the cave, a deep voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Hold it! Take it nice and slow, no sudden moves..."

Nora and Danse whipped their heads around in the direction of the voice, and Nora's jaw dropped when she saw the speaker.

"...Holy-"

She had to put an arm in front of Danse to keep him from firing at the super mutant peering at them from further in the cave. He _wasn't_ attacking them... but he certainly didn't look happy to see the two of them, either.

"I know you're from the Institute, so where's Kellogg? Huh?" the super mutant demanded. "Trying to sneak up on me while you distract me? It's not going to work! I'm not stupid, I knew they'd send him after me!"

Danse and Nora stared at him in shock.

 _'This has to be one of the most intelligent super mutants I've ever met...'_ Nora thought. It wasn't until she spotted the makeshift spectacles around the mutant's head and what looked like part of an Institute uniform he was wearing that something clicked.

 _'...No way...'_

"Are you... Dr. Virgil?" she asked tentatively.

The super mutant narrowed its eyes. "You know damn well who I am. What're you doing here? Where's Kellogg?"

She slowly lowered her rifle, which Danse disliked. He tightened his grip on his own, just in case.

"Take it easy..." she said softly. "Kellogg's dead."

Virgil's eyes widened a bit. "Dead? He's... dead? Don't you lie to me!"

She shook her head. "I'm not lying, I swear... I killed that bastard myself."

Virgil seemed to relax a little. "Did you? ...Kellogg was ruthless. There's a _reason_ the Institute used him to do their dirty work for so many years. I knew they'd send him after me, tried to prepare for it... but I still wasn't sure I'd make it. And so, you... you killed him, eh? ...Then what do you want with me?"

"...Why did you leave the Institute?" She asked. "I know you came from there."

"You know about the escape? But how?" Virgil shook his giant head. "No, it doesn't matter. I'm not going back... I _can't_ go back. Look at me! Look at what I had to do to myself to escape! Why are you even here? What do you want?"

"Relax - we just need to know how to get in there," she replied.

Now Virgil really gaped at them. "Wait - what? Are you serious? You want to get _into_ the Institute? Are you insane? Never mind how _impossible_ that is - even if you were to succeed it'd almost certainly end in your immediate death. What reason could you _possibly_ have for taking that kind of risk?"

Nora sighed softly. "...I'm trying to find my son. The Institute kidnapped him."

Virgil's face softened. "Oh... oh no. I had no idea. I'm sorry. Yeah, the Institute has taken people from the Commonwealth in the past. If your son is one of them... I can understand why you'd want to get in there. I can help, but... I'm going to need something in return."

"What do you want from us?" she asked.

"Before I had to escape, I was working on a serum to reverse the mutation," Virgil said. "It could return me to normal. I wasn't able to bring it with me. It's still in my lab, and... well, look at me. I _need_ it. You understand? So if you go in there, I need you to find it in my old office and bring it to me. I think it's pretty reasonable, in exchange for helping you."

 _' Reverse the...?'_

Nora, shocked at the revelation that the FEV virus could possibly be cured, looked over at Danse - who had paled, his eyes wide. She frowned, having a pretty good idea where his mind was going just now. She turned back to Virgil.

"...You help me, and I'll help you."

Virgil nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. "All right. Let's talk details. First thing's first - you know how synths get in and out of the Institute?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they use some sort of teleporter."

He looked impressed. "Well well... not many know about it. Pretty closely guarded secret. You've certainly done your homework. It's commonly referred to as the 'Molecular Relay'. I don't understand all the science behind it, but it works. De-materializes you in one place, re-materializes you in another. I'm sure it sounds crazy, but it's a reality. The Relay is the only way in and out of the Institute. You hear me? The _only_ _one_. That means you're going to have to use it. Now - have you ever seen an Institute Courser?"

She blinked. "A 'Courser'? What's that?"

"Another Institute secret. Coursers are Institute synths, designed for one purpose - they're hunters. Operations go wrong, a synth goes missing, and a Courser is dispatched. They're very good at what they do... and you're going to have to _kill_ one. Every Courser has special hardware that gives them a direct connection to the Relay in the Institute. It's embedded in a chip in their heads, You need that chip. But to get it, you'll have to find a courser. Now I don't know exactly where you can find one. They haven't sent any after me, and sitting here waiting doesn't seem like a good plan. You're going to have to hunt one down. I can tell you where to start, and give you some help finding one, but you'll have to do the dirty work."

Nora took a deep breath.

 _'Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.'_

She nodded at Virgil. "Okay... what do I do?"

"Right. The primary insertion point for Coursers is in the ruins of CIT, directly above the Institute, so you'll want to head there. Now, the Relay causes some pretty heavy interference all across the EM spectrum. You've got a radio, right? When you get to the ruins, tune it to the lower end of the band and listen in. You'll be able to hear the interference. Follow the signal, and it'll lead you to a courser. Then you just have to... not get killed."

He snorted and looked at her skeptically. "...Not gonna lie; the odds aren't in your favor here. But if you _do_ make it, remember what I said about the serum. I need it - badly." His expression turned sympathetic. "I... really do hope you find what you're looking for."

She nodded and turned to Danse, who had remained silent this whole time. "Come on," she said gently. "Let's get out of here and report back."

Danse nodded solemnly, and they turned and headed back towards the entrance to the cave.

* * *

After making sure the deathclaw from before was long gone, they put their helmets back on and headed out of the cave - but not before taking an extra dose of Rad-X, just in case.

Nora was glad that they could finally get the hell out of here, but Virgil's words were weighing heavily on her. Not that she'd thought the fight against the Institute would ever be _easy_ , but she certainly didn't love hearing that it would only get _harder_ from here on out. She sighed softly and looked over at Danse, who had said nothing the entire time since meeting Virgil. She bit her lip, an anxious feeling in her stomach.

"Danse..." she said softly. "...Do you want to talk about it?"

He just grunted and continued walking. She said nothing for a moment, then gently pushed forward.

"...It might not even work, Danse. He said he was _working_ on it. That means it wasn't perfected yet. Even if it _does_ work... it hadn't existed yet back when you-"

"Back when I had to shoot Cutler?" Danse snapped. He stopped walking and whirled around to face her. "Back when I had to mercy-kill my friend and Brother-in-Steel? When I thought I had _no_ choice but to put a bullet through the skull of the monster those abominations had turned him into against his will?"

She winced at the tone of his voice. "I know..." she murmured. "But you were right before - you _didn't_ have a choice. There were _no_ other options. You did your duty."

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I... don't want it to be true, Taylor. Part of me is hoping... that it _doesn't_ work. Because it if _does_ , that means-"

"It means that no one will ever have to be a super mutant _ever_ again," she said. "It means that we might be able to change back anyone who was forced to become one of those things. It could mean the end of super mutants _forever_." She stepped closer to him and put a metal hand on his shoulder. "...It means that no one else will _ever_ have to suffer like Cutler did... or like _you_ did."

He slowly looked up at her, then nodded after a minute. "...Right," he said decidedly. "Let's get going, then. The sooner we get all of this taken care of, the sooner we can stop the Institute forever."

She nodded and they continued walking onward.

* * *

They walked on for quite a while. Nora figured that they _must_ be getting closer to the edge of the Glowing Sea by now.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook a little. They both stopped and looked over at each other, then glanced around quickly as they readied their laser rifles. A roar sounded from nearby, but there didn't seem to be anything around them.

"Keep a sharp eye out," Danse warned softly. "We don't want those damn things to get the drop on us."

Nora nodded as they continued forward with caution. If they could just make it to the edge, they could toss out a vertibird signal grenade and get the hell out of here.

Things seemed to quiet down again, and she was just starting to relax a little - when out of nowhere the alpha deathclaw from before burst through the fog and knocked Danse backward off of his feet with a grunt.

" _Danse!_ " Nora yelled as she raised her rifle at the beast. It roared in anger and turned its attention to her.

Her eyes widened as she took the deathclaw in. It was massive, _much_ bigger than the one that she fought in Concord. She wondered if the radiation from the Glowing Sea had anything to do with it.

It narrowed its eyes at her - well... _eye_ (one of them was burned in its socket - that must have been from when she shot it earlier), almost as if it recognized her.

 _'You,'_ it seemed to say. She gritted her teeth and took aim.

"That's right, you bastard," she growled. "I remember _you_ , too." She fired off a few shots, hitting the deathclaw in the back. It looked mostly annoyed instead of injured, and started charging towards her.

 _'Shit,'_ she thought, and whipped her head around as she started running, looking for cover or _anything_ that might prove useful. No such luck - just a few broken trees, rocks, and more rocks. How the hell had she done this before with worse armor and a 10mm pistol? _"_ _I just... got lucky,"_ she had told Danse, back in Diamond City.

 _'Great - thanks past Nora,_ _super_ _helpful,'_ she thought with a groan. She just hoped her stupid luck would hold out.

She finally spotted a houseless roof in the distance and raced towards it, hoping it would be enough to cover her for a few moments so she could open fire on the deathclaw again.

 _'Danse, I hope to God you're all right...'_ she thought as she dove underneath it. She caught sight of the deathclaw's massive killer hand out of the corner of her eye, trying to swipe at her and missing by a mere couple of inches. She even felt the wind created by the force of its massive swing. It lowered its head to the ground to peer in at her and howled in frustration.

She flipped onto her back and pointed _Righteous Authority_ at it, opening up at its face.

* * *

Danse had flown backwards several yards from the deathclaw's impact, sliding on the ground a few more feet until he finally stopped. He lay still for a moment, temporarily stunned, then grunted as he slowly got up and surveyed himself for damage. Luckily he didn't feel _seriously_ injured, and his armor seemed still intact - although his chestplate had been dented from the impact.

 _'Just like Nora's,'_ he thought, recalling her telling him about her first encounter with a deathclaw when she'd lent him her spare suit in Diamond City.

 _'Nora!'_ he thought suddenly, the gravity of the situation coming back to him like lighting. He looked around and _just_ caught sight of the deathclaw's backside as it disappeared after a retreating Nora. He grabbed his laser rifle from the ground and sprinted after them.

* * *

Nora didn't know how much headway she was actually making with the deathclaw. She figured she had to be wounding it at least a _little_... but if it was injured, it didn't show it - just screamed at her and tried everything it could to reach her under the roof. She knew she couldn't hide here forever.

She was desperately trying to think of a plan when she saw a red laser beam hit the side of the deathclaw.

 _'Danse! He's okay!'_ she thought joyfully.

Sure enough, there was a loud shout of _"For the Brotherhood!"_ , followed by a few more shots at the deathclaw. It roared in anger as it turned from her to look behind it at Danse.

"Taylor!" she heard him yell. "Are you all right?"

"Fine!" she shouted back. "Very glad to see you alive, Paladin!" She crawled out from under the roof and raised her rifle once more.

"Let's send this monster back to hell!" he yelled, as they both fired at the beast in unison. The deathclaw shrieked and looked quickly from side to side, as if not sure who to go for first. It decided on Danse as he dodged another swipe and tried to balance between shooting the monster and avoiding it.

The beast got lucky as Danse stumbled over the environment, and pounced on him with a roar, pinning him down on the ground.

 _'Oh God,'_ thought Nora in a panic, _'It's going to finish him off!'_

She felt a white-hot fury race through her and looked around for anything useful other than her rifle, which seemed to be taking far too long for any serious damage. She spotted a long, jagged piece of metal sticking out of the side of the roof and wrenched it free with both hands. Taking a deep breath, she ran at the deathclaw and jumped as hard and as high as she could with a yell, landing on its back.

The deathclaw snarled and turned its head at the intrusion - just what she'd been hoping for. As hard as she possibly could, she swung the metal piece around and jammed it into its good eye. The deathclaw screamed bloody murder as it writhed in pain. It flailed hopelessly for a moment, before it managed to grab at her middle and throw her off.

She cried out as she hit the ground hard and bounced, seeing stars for a few moments. She heard Danse yell something, suddenly sounding far away, but was too dazed (and in pain) to make it out. After what felt like several minutes, she heard the heavy thudding of footsteps running towards her, and felt herself being gently turned over onto her back.

"Aw _shit_..." she heard him whisper.

She squinted open her eyes and saw that the HUD of her helmet had been cracked, and a couple different warnings were blinking on her screen.

"...D-did we get it?" she murmured weakly, an ache growing on her left side.

She vaguely saw Danse nod. " _You_ did," he said, not sounding happy.

"...Are you gonna... yell at me again?" she asked, a hint of humor in her voice.

He took a deep breath - which made him wince, as a surge of pain hit his chest (he wouldn't be surprised if that damn deathclaw had cracked one of his ribs) - and looked down at her.

There was a rather large dent in the side of her helmet. Also, the side of her armor had been ripped away, between her left ribs and her hip, revealing part of the frame and mechanical 'innards' of the suit. He could see part of her orange uniform underneath, which was slowly staining red.

"...I'll yell at you later," he said softly. "For now, I've got to get you the hell out of here."

He tried to think quickly of how the hell he was actually going to _do_ that. He had no way of knowing what kind of internal injuries she might have, or if she had a concussion or not. And now that her suit was partially destroyed, she ran the risk of radiation exposure - which was growing literally every second they remained out here. It would be worse if he took her _out_ of the suit, but he didn't think he'd be able to carry her _in_ the suit - especially in his _own_ condition. And he didn't know how close they currently were to the edge of the Glowing Sea, so he didn't think it was worth throwing a vertibird grenade _now_ if the Brotherhood wouldn't even be able to come to their location to help them.

 _'Damn it...'_

He felt trapped, without a lot of options. He finally shook his head and, as carefully as he could, rolled her back onto her side. He heard her grunt at the movement and reached for the back of her suit, turning the valve to open it up. The back hissed open and he carefully pulled her out and laid her on the ground. He removed the fusion core from the armor as well, just so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands.

He also quickly got some Rad-X out of their storage pack. He temporarily pulled off his helmet to take a couple himself - just in case - and turned to Nora.

"You need to take these," he said.

She tried to sit up and cringed, so she held out a shaky hand for him to help her up. After she swallowed the pills he gave her, she squinted at him.

"...You're hurt," she rasped, and gently reached out to touch his forehead.

He touched the same area she did and frowned when his hand came back with a little blood on it.

"It's nothing," he said, shaking his head. "You're worse off." He put his helmet back on and crouched down beside her, then gingerly lifted her into his arms, ignoring the slight dizziness he felt.

"Just hang on, Nora..." he said quietly. "I'll get us out of here as fast as I can. We shouldn't be too far from the edge now, and then I can call us a vertibird."

She whimpered a little in pain as he lifted her, then smiled weakly. "You... used my first name again, Paladin. Ooh... I'm totally reporting you to Arthur... _so_ unprofessional..." She was starting to feel out of it, so she didn't even notice that she'd called him 'Arthur' this time.

Danse smiled a little bit as he started heading onward, then frowned again when he looked down at her. She was starting to look really pale, and beads of sweat were beginning to form on her forehead. He swallowed hard and pushed himself to walk faster.

She was silent for the next few minutes - but when she spoke again, her voice was even quieter.

"Danse... I n-need you to... promise m-me something."

Oh no. He knew _this_ routine. It was always the thing that was said when one thought that they were going to die, and wanted their last wishes heard and/or carried out. He'd be _damned_ before he let that happen. He shook his head angrily.

"Don't you _dare_ ," he said darkly. "We're both going to be fine, soldier. Just be patient."

"...P-please, Danse..."

The tone of her voice almost broke his heart. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he continued walking.

"...What is it."

"I need you to... promise... you'll help V-Virgil. ...Stop the Institute w-with Arthur. ...Rescue S-Shaun. Please p-promise me."

Danse sighed again. He just... didn't have the strength to argue. He said nothing for a minute, then nodded, his face feeling tight.

"...I promise, Nora."

* * *

His power armor was starting to feel heavier and heavier as time went on. He didn't know how long he'd been walking for... maybe forever. Maybe he and Nora had actually died fighting that deathclaw, and they were now in some sort of Purgatory, and this was his punishment - to carry her forever, reminded of his mistakes and failures until the end of time.

...It was almost too much to bear.

He didn't want to stop walking... _couldn't_ stop walking. To stop was to die. But they had _already_ died... right? He didn't know. He didn't know anything. Nothing mattered now.

He took a deep and heavy breath, starting to feel hot and dizzy inside his armor. His chest was starting to ache. He was tired... _so very_ tired.

He looked downward, remembering that Nora was still lying in his arms. He gradually stopped walking and stared down at her. Her eyes were closed. She was so pale. A little blood trickled from a small wound on her forehead that he hadn't noticed before. Sweat trailed down her face. Blood had soaked her uniform from the wound on her left side. Her breathing sounded ragged and labored.

...Was... there something that he was supposed to do? He felt like he was forgetting something... something important... but he couldn't seem to remember what. Suddenly walking didn't seem quite so important now. He slowly and carefully laid Nora down on the ground and looked through their things - maybe something in their inventory would jog his memory.

As he searched the items slowly, one item in particular caught his attention. He lifted it up and narrowed his eyes as he examined it. He knew what this was... he _knew_ he knew... he felt it, deep down. He wracked his brain trying to come up with the name to match the familiar item.

Suddenly, it hit him - a signal grenade. This called for vertibirds if one was needed. To go back to the Prydwen.

...The Prydwen!

His eyes widened a little. Was _that_ what he was forgetting? Weren't both he and Nora supposed to be there? Like... now?

He stared at the grenade for another moment, then pulled the pin and tossed it in front of him. Red smoke started flowing out of it, and climbed up to the sky. He watched it curiously for a moment, then nodded to himself. That must have been it. Mission accomplished.

He looked back at Nora on the ground and frowned. He felt a little sad, but wasn't sure why. He took a step towards her and realized he still had his power armor on.

...Well _that_ was odd. ...Why was he wearing power armor? ...Especially since it was so hot? His eyesight in the helmet didn't seem that clear, anyway.

He took his helmet off and let it clatter to the ground. The air felt cool on his sweating face. He released his suit from the inside and heard the all-familiar _hiss_ as the back of it opened. He stumbled out of it, feeling unsteady on his feet. Why was he suddenly so dizzy?

His legs felt like rubber as he hobbled over to Nora and sat heavily beside her. He looked down at her again and smiled softly. Nora was his friend. He didn't remember why, but he knew he didn't have a lot of them. He was grateful to her. He'd have to tell her that later.

For now, though... he was tired. ... _Very_ tired. Maybe he could sleep... just a little. Nora was sleeping. It probably wouldn't hurt if he slept too.

He laid back beside her... well... _fell_ was more accurate, but he didn't really notice. He heard a noise far in the distance... familiar... mechanical... but he was too tired to try and recognize it. His eyes slowly closed, and he almost smiled - finally letting the darkness embrace him.

...Peace.

* * *

END NOTE:  
\- It doesn't make sense to me in the game that Nora can use her Pip-Boy while she's wearing her power armor - how would she _see_ it? So... my personal headcanon (just to save my sanity) is that what she'd normally see on her Pip-Boy can also tie in to the HUD on her power armor helmet. ...Hope this isn't too wacky or too much of a stretch for you guys, lol.

\- Yeah... as you've probably guessed, Danse wasn't feeling so hot at the end of the chapter, either. :-(  
Just as a neat FYI, I had looked into the symptoms of radiation poisoning, which include: bleeding from the nose, mouth, & gums, bruising, confusion, dehydration, diarrhea, fainting, fatigue, fever, hair loss, inflammation of exposed areas (redness, tenderness, swelling, bleeding), mouth ulcers, nausea & vomiting, open sores on the skin, skin burns (redness, blistering), sloughing of skin, ulcers (sores) in the esophagus (food pipe), stomach or intestines, vomiting blood, and weakness.

Some of these symptoms can present almost right away, while others can show up much later - it depends on the level of radiation and the duration of exposure. ...Obviously the Glowing Sea would give one QUITE a bit of exposure. So... Danse was starting to get a little out of it and confused near the end, and I hope that translated well.


	17. Chapter 17 - Rescue Mission

Brooks and Petris sat out in the forecastle of the Prydwen, both feeling anxious. Brooks had told Petris about his morning with Womack, Danse, and Nora, and how the latter two had left for their mission several hours ago to the Glowing Sea. Ideally, the mission wouldn't take too long - but Brooks didn't know _exactly_ what they were doing there (Danse had been vague about it), so there was no telling _when_ they'd see the vertibird grenade signal on the horizon.

"Don't worry so much," Petris told him, not sounding wholly convinced himself. "I'm sure they're fine. Paladin Danse is one of the best soldiers out here - that's why Elder Maxson sent him to the Commonwealth in the _first_ place, and why he and Taylor were the ones sent to the Glowing Sea. They know what they're doing."

Brooks sighed and ran a hand through his hair, not feeling reassured. He _wanted_ to believe that they were fine, but... he just had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that only increased the more time that passed.

"...What _do_ you think they're doing out there?" Petris asked.

Brooks shrugged. "Who knows... all Danse said was something about a lead to take down the Institute."

"Damn bastards," Petris muttered. "Stealing people from the Commonwealth and replacing them with synths? It's sick." He paused for a moment, then asked, "What... what do you think they do with the people they take? Do you think they keep them _alive_? Or..."

Brooks shook his head. "I don't even want to _think_ about it. It's bad enough we've got all that _other_ crap to deal with daily - raiders, gunners, feral ghouls, super mutants... at least they don't have any _centaurs_ here." He shuddered at the thought of those monstrous abominations from the Capital Wasteland.

Petris nodded his agreement. He opened his mouth to speak again when something on the horizon behind Brooks caught his eye.

Brooks noticed his double-take and narrowed his eyes. "...What is it?" He turned to follow Petris's gaze. It took him a couple seconds to see it - he squinted in the distance to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Sure enough, it was there - the beginnings of a small red line of smoke, coiling up from the southwest. His eyes widened and he whirled around to face Petris, who looked just as alarmed as he felt.

"Do you think..." Petris trailed off, but Brooks was already pulling himself up off of the metal walkway.

"It's them," he said quickly. "It _has_ to be. No one else is patrolling out there today." He was about to hurry past Petris, but the other soldier grabbed his arm.

" _Wait a minute_ ," he said, and Brooks didn't like his sudden tone of voice. Petris reached down for the extra sniper scope he'd taken with him and looked through it at the smoke. He was silent for a moment, but Brooks saw him stiffen immediately.

"Petris? What is it?" he asked impatiently.

Petris slowly lowered the scope and turned to him, an apprehensive expression on his face. "The signal..." he said softly, "it's... not coming from the _edge_ of the Glowing Sea... it's coming from _inside_ of it."

"What? Are you _sure_?"

Petris nodded and handed the scope to Brooks, who raised it to his eye to see for himself.

Sure enough, the red smoke was coming from somewhere _inside_ the area of green-tinted fog. Brooks shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense... it's dangerous for our vertibirds to travel in that much radiation. That's why Danse and Nora were dropped off at the _edge_ of the Glowing Sea. They both _know_ that. The _only_ reason they'd use a signal _inside_ the area is..." he froze and his eyes widened.

"...Is if they were in serious trouble," finished Petris gravely.

The two soldiers stared at one another for a moment.

"...Oh _shit_..." Brooks said softly.

* * *

Arthur was in the Command Deck talking with Captain Kells when Knights Petris and Brooks ran in, out of breath and looking panicked. He narrowed his eyes a little, surprised at their alarming entrance.

"Elder Maxson! _Sir!_ " Brooks panted. "Vertibird grenade signal sighted from the Glowing Sea!"

Arthur's eyes widened as he turned fully towards them. "What?"

Knight Petris stepped forward. "There's something you need to know _first_ , sir. The signal appears to be coming from _inside_ the Glowing Sea, not outside."

Arthur's jaw dropped a little. _Inside_ it? But... if _that_ was true...

He swallowed hard, his face instantly becoming rigid. "Knight - are you absolutely _certain_ of this?"

Both of the knights nodded.

"We both saw it, sir," Brooks said. He help up the sniper scope he'd been carrying. "You can see it for yourself." He jutted his chin towards the left side window.

Arthur cast a side glance at Kells - who also looked concerned - before he took the scope and raced over to the window. He held it up to his eye, looking towards the southwest where the Glowing Sea was.

Just like they had said - a red line of smoke was rising from the Glowing Sea in the distance, and it was definitely _inside_ the area.

 _'Oh God...'_ he thought. _'Danse..._ _Nora_ _...'_

He turned back towards the soldiers, too distracted to hide the shock and worry on his face.

"...Your orders, sir?" Petris asked uncertainly.

 _'Think, Arthur, think...'_ he urged himself.

Of _course_ he wanted to dispatch a vertibird _immediately_... it was all he could do not to run from the room himself as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to stay calm, however - he was the leader of the entire Eastern Brotherhood, he couldn't afford to panic. He knew Danse would never dispatch a vertibird grenade _inside_ the Glowing Sea without a reason... the area was far too radioactive and dangerous, he knew better than that. He would _never_ normally put the safety or lives of other soldiers ahead of his own. It was one of the reasons he was such an excellent soldier.

...Something had gone wrong. Maybe even _horribly_ wrong. They must have needed a rescue ASAP. Especially in _that_ environment - literally every second wasted could mean the difference between...

Arthur shook his head. The time for action was _now_ \- absolutely _no_ time for second guessing. He took a deep breath and turned to Captain Kells.

"Kells - you're in charge in my absence. Soldiers-" he turned to Brooks and Petris. "I need you to get Paladin Williams and Knight-Captain Cade - or _any_ of the medical scribes available - and meet me by the vertibirds in your power armor _immediately_. Time is _absolutely_ of the essence - we're going in."

The soldiers nodded and saluted, then turned and ran from the room in haste.

Kells nodded at him as well. "I sincerely hope they're both all right. Steel be with you Elder, and be careful out there. Ad victoriam." He saluted Arthur.

Arthur quickly returned the gesture, then sped from the room to retrieve his own set of power armor, rarely used lately.

...Where _he_ was going... he was definitely going to need it.

* * *

"Jacob... are you sure you don't want to spend time with the _other_ squires right now?" Scribe Grace Williams glanced over at her son, who was curiously poking the leg of a dead super mutant lying on one of the tables in the biological research department.

He looked up at her and shook his head.

Grace saw Senior Scribe Neriah frown as she peered at Jacob out of the corner of her eye and sighed. Try as she might, Jacob just wasn't fitting in well with the other children on board the Prydwen. ...Not that there were a _lot_ , but still - these were to be Jake's future brothers and sisters-in-steel, and he had to learn to bond with them a little better.

She suddenly spotted her husband coming down the steel walkway towards them. Paladin Samuel Williams smiled as he looked over at Jake inspecting the mutant, then came to stand at Grace's side and gave her a gentle kiss on the side of her forehead.

"Any luck with Neriah's research?" he asked.

She shook her head and frowned. "Not yet. We're still trying to figure out how these wasteland creatures have such a tolerance for the radiation around them. You'd think eating and drinking what they do out there would significantly shorten their lifespans, but they seem to be handling it just fine. If we can isolate how their bodies handle the rads, we might be able to develop better treatments and medications for the people of the Commonwealth, maybe even the country."

She wrinkled her nose and looked over at the mole rats in the caged area nearby. "But for now - we have to put up with _these_ blasted things."

Williams laughed and smiled impishly at his wife. "It could be worse," he said. "At least you're not dealing with a cage full of radscorpions, or even _deathclaws_."

Grace huffed and lowered her voice. "Well Neriah wanted Knight Rhys to try and procure a _brahmin_ for the Prydwen, but he flat out refused to get one of those things onto a vertibird. Neriah was not amused."

Williams laughed again and opened his mouth to speak, when he heard hurried footsteps running down the walkway.

" _Paladin Williams!_ "

He turned to see Brooks racing towards them, followed by Knight Petris. Williams frowned, feeling immediately uneasy at the expressions on their faces.

"Something wrong, soldier?" he asked.

Brooks stopped in front of him and took a deep breath, panting a bit. "You're needed _immediately_ , sir. Rescue mission - Glowing Sea. We spotted a vertibird signal and think Danse and Nora are in danger. Elder Maxson is taking us out there to investigate."

Williams' eyes widened a bit. Elder Maxson was going _with_ them? This _must_ be serious - usually the Elder just gave the orders and stayed behind.

He nodded and was about to turn to Grace, but Brooks beat him to it.

"We... need a medical scribe, too. Cade's not in his quarters, and we don't have _time_ to go looking for him."

She immediately nodded and turned towards her son. "Jake! You be on your best behavior, we'll be back as soon as we can."

"What?" Williams gaped at her, thunderstruck. "You are absolutely _not_ going."

She just scowled at him. "Don't be stupid Sam, I'm needed."

He shook his head. "There's _way_ too much radiation there, and you don't have any power armor."

"We have a hazmat suit here I can use. Danse and Knight Taylor could be seriously hurt, or suffering from radiation poisoning. You may need someone to start performing medical aid on the vertibird. This is part of my job. _I'm going_."

He opened his mouth to protest again, but Grace glared daggers at him.

"PALADIN. I'M GOING."

"There isn't _time_ for this!" Petris pleaded. "We need to meet Maxson outside, _now_!"

Williams sighed heavily and gave a reluctant nod. He glanced at Brooks and Petris. "Head out. We'll be right behind you." As they both raced off, he turned towards Grace.

She pursed her lips for a moment, then pulled him forward and kissed his lips softly, ignoring the grunt of protest from Jake nearby.

"...We'll be all right," she said. "Brooks and Petris will be there. _Elder Maxson_ will be there. Danse and Nora could be in serious trouble. You know we have to help them."

He nodded again and looked over at Jake. "We'll be back, son. Mind your elders, now." Jake nodded and he turned to Grace again.

"Suit up. I have to grab my armor - I'll meet you outside."

* * *

Brooks and Petris ran as fast as they could to the power armor bay, Williams not far behind them. The three of them suited up as quickly as they could, then raced for the hangar of the outer Prydwen. Arthur was already waiting for them by a vertibird, wearing his own armor and helmet in hand. His eyes looked between the three soldiers - but before he could ask, Williams addressed him.

"Grace is on her way as well, sir."

The other two hopped right into the vertibird and Williams turned to see his wife running down the walkway - hazmat suit on, helmet under her arm, and carrying a bag of medical supplies.

Arthur nodded and gave the paladin a pat on the shoulder. As soon as both Grace and Williams were on board, he climbed in behind them and motioned to the pilot.

"Let's go, move out! We need to get there as quickly as you can fly us!"

"Yes Elder, sir!" the pilot called back, and immediately started the undocking procedures. Arthur took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment as the vertibird started off.

 _'Please be okay, Nora..._ _please_ _be okay...'_

As they approached the Glowing Sea, the signal from the vertibird grenade starting fading.

 _'No no no...'_ Arthur thought, _'Not_ _now_ _...'_

He turned to the other soldiers. "We're almost there! Helmets on, the level of radiation is going to be extremely high. Keep a sharp eye out for any movement, and give a shout if you see something!"

The other three soldiers nodded as they stood two on either side of the vertibird to keep a look out for Danse or Nora. They scoured the landscape as best they could while the vertibird flew over the thick greenish fog of the Glowing Sea.

"..My God..." Grace murmured. "This is... horrifying. I can't believe they're out here in these conditions."

Petris glanced over to Brooks on their side of the vertibird. Though they couldn't see each other's faces, he was pretty sure that Brooks looked just as worried as he did.

The vertibird turned and started to circle around again. Williams suddenly pointed out at the landscape.

"Holy- ...would you look at that..."

Arthur followed his hand and his eyes widened as the fog cleared a bit. He saw what looked like a giant, massive crater in the ground.

"That must be where the bomb impacted all those years ago," Williams said quietly.

Arthur shivered a little and shook his head silently. This... _this_ is where man's 'innovation' had lead them over 200 years ago. _This_ was the result of mankind pushing the boundaries and going where no man should venture. It was a perfect example of _everything_ the Brotherhood was fighting against.

A minute later, Brooks shouted from behind him.

"Sir! I think I see power armor!"

Arthur whipped his head around, and he and Williams rushed to the opposite side of the vertibird to take a look. It was faint, but he caught a glimpse of a metal suit on the ground below... and it was _not_ standing up. He felt his stomach churn as he turned to the pilot.

"Set us down!" he called out.

* * *

Arthur was the first off of the vertibird as he raced over to the armor, not even waiting for the vehicle to completely finish landing first. As he got closer, he could tell immediately by looking at the armor that it was Nora's - it lacked the Paladin paint job that Danse's had. It wasn't that he'd _wanted_ it to be Danse's - but the second he realized whose it was, it felt like ice water started running through his veins.

The armor was lying on its side, the back still open with the fusion core removed. Empty. He heard the other soldiers running over as he crouched to examine it.

As he turned it over to get a better look, he heard one of the others gasp behind him and felt like he got sucker-punched.

Part of the left side of the armor had been ripped away violently by something, between where the ribs and hip would be. The frame and mechanical 'innards' of the suit were visible... as well as what looked like blood at the edge of the hole.

"Sir!" he heard behind him. He turned and saw Petris holding up the helmet of the armor with a rather large dent in the side of it.

Arthur froze, immediately fearing the worst.

Williams head whipped around. "If this is _here_... then where's Danse's?"

Brooks pointed at something behind Arthur and the armor. "Oh my God..." he said softly.

Arthur turned and his jaw dropped when the fog parted a bit, revealing a massive deathclaw on the ground that they hadn't seen in the air through the fog. He got up and investigated it closer with the other soldiers. One of its eyes appeared to have been burnt out by something... probably from the fire of a laser rifle. The other eye had a long, large piece of metal impaling it.

The soldiers were all silent for a moment, then Arthur quickly turned to face them.

"There isn't time to lose," he said. " _Every_ second we waste is precious. Let's move out!"

* * *

The vertibird flew near the edge of the Glowing Sea again, and things were definitely looking grim.

Arthur grunted in frustration. He couldn't have them out here searching much longer, even if he _wanted_ to - the radiation was too dangerous, and if Nora was out here _without_ her power armor on...

He shook his head and clenched his fists. He did _NOT_ want to think of that... _couldn't_ think of that. _Refused_ to. Not right now... he needed his head as clear as possible now more than ever.

Petris' panicked shout immediately drove his thoughts from his head. "Sir! _The other armor!_ "

Arthur and Williams flew over to the other side of the vertibird and looked down.

"I think I see the orange of their suits!" Williams yelled.

Arthur leaned over to the pilot. "Set us down! Be prepared to take off again almost as soon as we land - we're going to need to get the hell out of here _immediately!_ "

"Affirmative, sir!" the pilot yelled back, and once more Arthur didn't wait for the vertibird to land before he leapt out, the other soldiers following suit this time.

He recognized the back of Danse's power armor suit standing still - the back still open like Nora's had been, his helmet lying a few feet away from it.

Arthur didn't stop running, but a quick glance over it told him that unlike Nora's, Danse's suit looked mostly intact - other than a large dent in the middle of the chest. His heart leapt in his chest when he saw Nora lying on the ground nearby, Danse lying next to her.

Their faces were both deathly pale - Nora's more than Danse's - and dripping with sweat. Both had blood trickling down from contusions on their foreheads. Their skin was starting to break out into reddish sores and bruises. And Nora... the side of her uniform and body was stained red from a nasty-looking wound, probably from the huge deathclaw they'd seen by her armor earlier.

Arthur didn't waste any time. He quickly but carefully scooped her into his arms and turned to the other soldiers. "We have to get them out of here - _NOW_!" he yelled. They nodded and Williams ran past Arthur to collect Danse.

Petris banged a metal hand against the side of the vertibird as Arthur climbed back in with him and Brooks, soon followed by Williams carrying Danse. "Let's _go_!" he yelled, as the pilot got the vertibird airborne once more.

Grace immediately rushed over to Arthur, who had sat down on the bench bolted to the floor of the vertibird with Nora still in his arms. She pulled a pack of RadAway out of her bag and placed a gloved hand on the underside of Nora's wrist, feeling around for a couple seconds... then froze. She immediately moved her hand to the side of Nora's neck, palpating a few different times in the area.

"What? What is it?" Arthur asked quickly, seeing her frantic movements.

"Oh God..." she whispered, "...I can't find a pulse."

Arthur felt like his heart stopped.

 _'No... please, no!'_ he thought in despair. _'...Don't tell me we were too late. I can't...'_

Grace grunted and ripped her helmet off, then her gloves.

"Grace!" her husband protested loudly, but she shook her head.

"There isn't time!" she yelled back. She pressed her fingertips to Nora's neck again and waited. The silence from the other men in the vertibird was deafening. After the longest few seconds of Arthur's life (though it felt much, _much_ longer), she exhaled and nodded. "It's there. Weak as all hell - but it's there."

There was a collective sigh from the other soldiers as she pushed one of Nora's sleeves up and inserted the IV line from the RadAway into one of her veins.

 _'That's my girl...'_ Arthur thought, not realizing what his mind was saying. _'Don't you_ _dare_ _give up on me. Keep fighting.'_

Grace looked up at him. "She's not 'out of the woods' yet," she said gently. "Try to keep this raised up above her." She handed Arthur the RadAway bag after he juggled a bit, then pulled out a Stimpak and injected Nora with it. She then looked down at Nora's side.

"Damn... that stupid thing really got her," she murmured as she inspected the wound.

"Will she be all right?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

Grace bit her lip and sighed. "...It's hard to say," she eventually said. "I'm not sure how much radiation damage she suffered, how long she'd been exposed, or how bad this laceration _really_ is. We won't know the full extent of the damage until we get her to the med bay at the airport."

Meanwhile, the vertibird exited the Glowing Sea and Brooks and Petris removed their helmets, grateful to be out of the irradiated area. They looked from Nora to Danse, who was still being held by Paladin Williams.

Grace turned to look at Brooks as she pulled some gauze from her bag. "Matt - over here." Brooks crouched beside her as she pressed a wad of the gauze to Nora's side.

Arthur frowned when the gauze almost immediately started turning red.

"Hold this here firmly," Grace told Brooks, after adding some more gauze to the bunch. "I have to check on Danse for a bit." After making sure Brooks was all set, she stood and went over to examine Danse in her husband's arms.

Arthur maneuvered things again for a moment to free up one of his hands. Brooks held the bag of RadAway for him as he removed his helmet. He nodded his thanks at Brooks, who nodded back. He took back the IV bag and looked back down at Nora. He was glad to be free of his helmet once more, but felt his stomach churn as he saw her clearly when sunlight passed through the vertibird.

Her face was pale... so, _so_ pale. The small wound on her forehead had dried up and stopped bleeding, but she had bruising on her neck as well as a couple red, puffy-looking sores on the side of her face. It made Arthur's heart ache to see her this way. He wanted so badly to reach his hand out and stroke his thumb against her cheek, like he had done back on the Prydwen last night as she had stared into his eyes... but he knew he had to be as professional as possible in front of the other soldiers.

Brooks sighed softly as he looked down at Nora. She looked absolutely awful... he hoped she'd be okay. He knew he hadn't known her for very long, but she wasn't just his sister-in-steel - she was becoming a good friend, and he didn't have many of those.

His eyes glanced up to Elder Maxson and Brooks blinked at the expression he saw. ...He knew the Elder cared about all his brothers and sisters-in-steel, but... the Elder was looking down at Nora like... well...

He shook his head mentally.

 _'No... no way.'_

They were all in an _extremely_ high-stress, dangerous, emotionally-charged situation. _Anyone_ would be looking at their fellow soldier like that, were the rolls switched around.

...Right?

He was sure that once they got Nora and Danse stabilized, and things were back to normal, Elder Maxson would once more wear his trademark scowl and carry his commanding presence.

Brooks turned to look back at Grace, Paladin Williams, and Danse, while still keeping pressure on Nora's wound. "How's he doing?" he called out to her. She'd started an IV line of RadAway on Danse as well.

"He's definitely seen better days, but all things considered - he's doing much better than Nora," she called back. "At least, as far as I can tell right _now_. I don't think he got anywhere _near_ the same level of radiation poisoning that _she_ did."

"Coming up on the airport now, sir!" the pilot called out from the cockpit.

 _'Thank God,'_ Arthur thought with relief. The sooner Nora (and Danse) got to the med bay, the better he'd feel.

* * *

As soon as the vertibird landed on the airport's helipad, Arthur stood up again - Nora tightly in his arms. He exited the aircraft, Williams carrying Danse behind him, while Grace ran ahead to alert the med bay and radio up to the Prydwen to send down Knight-Captain Cade as soon as he could come. She came back outside again quickly with some scribes and a couple gurneys from the med bay. Arthur and Williams laid Nora and Danse on them.

It almost pained Arthur to let go of Nora, but he knew it was completely necessary.

The other scribes began pushing the gurneys back inside with haste, and Grace looked over at Arthur.

" _Hopefully,_ the worst is over," she said. "Like I said, I don't think we'll know for sure until Captain Cade gets down here. It's... kind of a waiting game at this point." She glanced over to the other soldiers, who were trailing behind them, then looked back at Arthur. When she spoke again, her voice was very quiet.

"She's... _very_ weak, Elder. The next few hours are going to be the most critical."

He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. He _absolutely_ didn't want to leave Nora's side... if he were _anyone_ else, he'd cement himself beside her and to hell with anyone who told him differently. But... he was the Elder. There were things he had to do, responsibilities he had to take care of... he couldn't just shirk his duty because he _wanted_ to.

...No one ever said that life was fair.

Grace seemed to sense his uncertainty and, after a moment's hesitation, gently put a hand on his still-armored arm. "If anything changes, _anything_ at all... you'll be the first to know, sir."

He nodded gratefully. "...Thank you, Scribe Williams. Excellent work today."

She nodded back as she turned and hurried back into the airport.

He turned to look at the other men, who had paused behind him. He took a deep breath and nodded at them as well.

"Excellent job, soldiers. I'm proud of the way you all handled yourselves. Had we arrived another few minutes later... I don't even want to _think_ about what may have happened."

He saluted the three of them, who returned the gesture. As he passed by them and headed back to the vertibird, he made himself a promise that - though he didn't have _many_ \- the _instant_ he had _any_ kind of a free moment, he would be back down here and by her side.


	18. Chapter 18 - Awake, Part 1

Walking... and walking... and walking... and walking...  
Can't stop walking... don't stop... her life depends on it.

... _'Her'_? ...Her _who_? ...Where am I walking to?  
 _Don't stop_.  
Where am I going?  
...Home. Get help. Help her. Hurry.

...Who's 'her'?  
Look down, you idiot. You're carrying someone.  
...I... I am? Why?  
Don't fail her like you did Recon Squad Gladius.  
...That wasn't... my fault... was it?  
Of course it was... every decision made was _yours_. Every decision a bad one. Thank steel _she_ came by. If she hadn't...

...What... what happened?

He wracked his brain to try and figure things out. He felt a flash of pain shoot across his forehead and groaned.  
 _Don't stop walking..._  
The voice was a lot quieter this time. Something was against his back... what was he standing against?  
...No... not standing... not walking... lying down...

...Not walking! He tried moving, but his body felt like lead and another flash of pain happened, this time across his lower chest. His arms... his arms were empty! She was gone! Where was she?!  
 _Failed again..._  
No... please, not again... he'd already failed Cutler...

"Hey... _hey!_ I think he's waking up!"

 _Nora..._

"...Paladin Danse? ...Can you hear me?"  
Who... wait... yes. Him. _He_ was Danse. ...Where was he? What was going on?

He opened his eyes a crack and grunted as he shut them again, the brightness in the room too much for him. He felt the light dim a bit and slowly squinted his eyes open once more. There were a couple people standing over him, and it took his eyes a moment to bring them into focus.

...Cade. Knight-Captain Cade. That's who was touching his wrist... taking his pulse, Danse realized. He turned his head slightly to the other man staring down at him... Knight Brooks.

It took a moment for Danse to muster up the energy to talk, and when he did, his throat felt raw.

"Wh-where...?" he croaked.

"Med bay, at the airport," Brooks answered for him. "...Welcome back, Paladin." He smiled down at him softly.

 _'...The airport?'_ thought Danse. _'...Why...'_

It all came back to him slowly. ...He'd been on a mission... the Glowing Sea. The Children of Atom. Dr. Virgil, who had turned himself into a super mutant to survive the radiation there.  
...Radiation... deathclaw…

Danse's eyes widened.

" _...Nora!_ " he rasped and moved to sit up, wincing and gritting his teeth in pain at the movement.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Cade said quickly, pushing him back down with a gentle hand. "Easy there, soldier. You are _not_ going _anywhere_ anytime soon. You need to rest and recuperate _first_."

"Where is she?" Danse whispered. "Is she... okay?"

He strongly disliked the look that passed between Cade and Brooks. He saw Brooks' eyes flicker unconsciously to Danse's right, and he turned his head to look - almost immediately sorry that he did.

Nora was lying in a bed beside him, looking like... death warmed over. Danse's heart sunk at the sight of her.

She had an IV line inserted into one of her arms and was wearing a hospital gown. She was covered by a blanket from her chest down, so he couldn't see the full extent of her injuries (which he was almost grateful for). She was even paler than when he had last seen her, other than some blistering on the side of her face and some on her arms. There was bruising scattered over the skin that he could see, and a bandage on her forehead. She looked like she had been in a horrible fight and lost. The only thing worse than the sight of her was the _sound_ \- she was taking very ragged and shallow breaths, wheezing periodically.

Danse looked back over at Cade in horror, who patted his shoulder gently.

"She's... very weak," Cade said quietly. "But stable - for now. I _think_ the worst is over for her... we're keeping a very close eye on her. The deathclaw's damage wasn't _too_ bad... she _did_ need stitches, and will probably have a scar there - but luckily no injury to her vital organs. It was the _radiation_ that really took its toll on her. Having her power armor breached and getting wounded just allowed the radiation into her body _faster_. Unfortunately..." he sighed softly, "...we forgot to take her... _past_ into consideration when anticipating the effect the radiation might have on her before she left for the Glowing Sea."

When Danse and Brooks just stared at him looking confused, he elaborated.

"People born into this day and age are more adept to fit in with the amount of radiation that currently exists in the atmosphere. You-" he gestured to Danse, "-Knight Brooks, myself... we're all used to most of the radiation that surrounds us because we've lived in it our _whole lives_. Our bodies just adjusted to it accordingly as we aged. Knight Taylor, on the other hand... she was born into very different conditions. She doesn't _have_ the built-up tolerance that everyone _else_ has for radiation. I'm afraid she was more susceptible to radiation poisoning before she even _left_ for the Glowing Sea, even _with_ all the protection you both took with you."

He paused and thought for a brief moment. "It would be like... if - God forbid - a measles outbreak were to ever happen, Knight Taylor would most likely be unaffected because I'm sure she had the luxury of receiving all kinds of inoculations that were standard in _her_ time. But where things like that are nonexistent _now_ , the disease could spread amongst the rest of us like the plague."

Brooks looked at Cade like he'd just spoken a completely foreign language for the last couple minutes.

"Wait... wait a minute," he said, holding up a hand." 'Born into different conditions'? _Unaffected_ by measles? You mean because Nora was a vault dweller, right? Or... what did you mean, 'in _her_ time'? Nora's only in her 20s like me, right?"

Cade and Danse both froze, unsure of how to handle Cade's inadvertent slip. Cade finally cleared his throat.

"If you're not fully aware of Knight Taylor's past, it's not really for _me_ to tell you, Knight Brooks."

Brooks opened his mouth to argue, but then remembered Elder Maxson's earlier threat - he certainly wasn't in the mood to scrub the outside of the Prydwen, so he decided to just let it go - for now. ...Something was definitely strange, though.

Danse exhaled and winced again as another flash of pain went across his lower chest. He looked down at himself and lifted the blanket covering him. He realized for the first time that he was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose sweatpants, and his lower chest was wrapped in bandages. He also noticed that like Nora, he _also_ had some scattered blistering and bruising on his skin, though it wasn't as bad as Nora's was. He looked over at Cade curiously.

"Ah... yes," Cade said. "While your injuries weren't as serious as Knight Taylor's were, you _did_ still suffer some radiation poisoning of your own. Your power armor might have caught a leak when you were fighting off that massive deathclaw. I believe you may also have a cracked rib or two, hence the bandages around your middle. You've been healing nicely though... again, having a higher tolerance for radiation - combined with modern medicine - has also helped."

Danse raised a shaky hand to rub his forehead, feeling another slight headache coming on, and grunted when his hand touched another bandage up there. "How... long have I been unconscious for?" he mumbled.

"About a day," Brooks said. "You guys left for the Glowing Sea yesterday morning. It's the afternoon now."

He didn't have time to say much more though, because suddenly another head poked in the doorway.

" 'Ey! Glad to see you awake, Paladin!"

Danse looked over to see Knight Womack enter and move to stand by Brooks.

"I guess I missed all the 'excitement'," Womack said. "Paladin Williams, Petris, and Brooks here were the ones that got to rescue you two - I was 'lucky' enough to be on a super mutant run at the time." He paused a moment, then said, "Oh! _And_ Elder Maxson was there, too. From what I heard, _he_ was the one that lead the charge." He looked up at Brooks, who nodded in agreement.

Despite the tight feeling in his face, Danse raised his eyebrows.

Maxson had gone along _too_? That was... unusual. Usually he'd just give the order and remain at the Prydwen. As the Brotherhood's Elder, he wasn't really in a position to put himself in extra danger. His eyes unintentionally glanced over to Nora beside him again.

 _'...Hmm.'_ he thought.

"I guess we'll have to send someone back to the Glowing Sea to retrieve both sets of your power armor," Brooks said. "We didn't have time to collect them _and_ you guys - obviously, time was of the essence." His eyes lit up all of a sudden. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! Way to take down that alpha deathclaw, Paladin! We saw it not far from Nora's armor... that thing was freaking huge! Killing it without any _serious_ injuries to yourself... I bet you have an _amazing_ story to go along with it."

 _'They think_ _I_ _did that?'_ Danse thought. He shook his head slowly and winced at the effort.

"Not me..." he breathed. "Nora. _Knight Taylor_ ," he corrected himself. ...Had he been calling her Nora this whole time?

The other men just stared at him.

"... _Taylor_... took that thing down? No way." Womack said.

Danse nodded. "She saved my life," he said softly. "... _Twice_ , actually."

The other three appeared totally astonished and turned to gape at Nora.

"Whoa..." Brooks whispered.

Cade shook his head, then took a deep breath. "All right, gentlemen... I think it's time we let Paladin Danse rest some more." He walked over to a nearby tray, then came back with a purple-tinted syringe.

 _'Med-X,'_ , Danse realized. He grunted and started to shake his head, but Cade shot him a disapproving look.

"Don't fight me on this, Paladin," he warned. "This isn't a situation in which you can just 'tough it out'. Simply putting up with the pain is _not_ a good idea, as it can lead to shallow breathing, lack of coughing, and chest infections. Even if Stimpaks _do_ heal you quicker, they can only do so much on their _own_."

Danse sighed, feeling defeated, and nodded.

Cade looked up at Brooks and Womack, who nodded back at him.

Womack patted Danse's shoulder gently. "You'll be back on your feet in no time, sir," he said. "But for now, just concentrate on getting better."

As he and Brooks headed out of the room, Cade injected the Med-X into Danse, and almost immediately the paladin felt his body relax, his eyelids starting to droop. He cast one last look over at Nora before closing his eyes.

 _'...Hang in there, soldier...'_ he pleaded, before sleep overtook him once more.

* * *

END NOTE:  
Nerdy Fun Fact: In the past, doctors would use compression wraps around the chest to help splint and immobilize the area in case of a broken/fractured rib. They're not recommended for broken ribs _anymore_ though, because they can keep one from breathing deeply, which can increase the risk of pneumonia. However - FO4 is set in the distant future, and a stimpak is a hell of a thing when it comes to healing. So personal headcanon - a compression wrap _wouldn't_ be detrimental, b/c healing time is a LOT faster in the future when stimpaks are used (kind of tying game lore in here, lol).


	19. Chapter 19 - Awake, Part 2

Arthur sighed wearily as he stepped down from the vertibird and walked towards the airport.

Three days. It had been _three whole days_ since the rescue mission to the Glowing Sea, and he just _now_ had a little free time to check up on Danse and Nora. He'd heard Danse had woken up for a bit the day before yesterday, but Arthur hadn't been able to pull himself away from his duties for even an hour or two.

Needless to say, it was making him a little irritable... and he had a feeling that the other members of the Brotherhood were beginning to pick up on it a little. He'd caught a couple raised eyebrows in his direction when they thought he hadn't been looking, hushed conversations that stopped when he entered a room, or people not quite meeting his eyes.

...Whoever said that it was better to be feared than loved must never have had to experience it himself.

Sometimes... sometimes he wanted to curse the day he was born a Maxson. Obligation, discipline, duty, responsibility... all things that had been drilled into his head for as long as he could remember. There was nothing he could do about it, so he knew it was pointless to think otherwise, but... whenever anyone looked at him, _all_ they saw was the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel. Elder Owyn Lyons, Sarah Lyons, Danse... they were the few people that he had ever been anywhere _near_ close to, and even _they_ had treated him formally most of the time. There wasn't anyone that he felt like just a normal person around.

...Except for Nora.

Whenever he had been around her lately... he found that he forgot for a little while that he was a leader of many, that he was 'the Elder'. He didn't really _feel_ like 'the Elder' around her, he just felt like... Arthur. He hadn't even imagined that that could ever be a _possibility_ in his life until he met her.

His mind wandered to that night outside at the forecastle (his mind wandered to that night more and more lately) - lying closely beside her on the metal walkway, listening to each other talk... hands clasped and fingers laced together...

She had opened up to him earlier, been completely truthful about her past. That night, he had opened up to _her_... told her things that he hadn't told _anyone_ before. He didn't want to read into things that might not be there, but... when she had wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace... the expression that had been on her face when he'd cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb against her soft skin... it made him feel warm all over to think about it.

He sighed again. At least now he could be beside her, if only for a _little_ while.

As he walked into the med bay of the airport, he nodded at Scribe Grace Williams, who did a double-take when she saw him.

"Elder Maxson!" she said. "...If you're looking for Captain Cade, I'm afraid he's away at the moment. He and I have been switching off looking after Paladin Danse and Knight Taylor."

Arthur shook his head. "No... just here for a visit Scribe Williams. How... are they doing? I heard Paladin Danse has awakened already."

She nodded and lead the way towards the room they were in, as he followed beside her. "He's been healing very well. He still needs to take it easy, since his ribs are still a little bit sore, but he should be fit for duty again soon. He's up and out of bed already, but... well... he hasn't wanted to leave Knight Taylor's side."

She stopped in front of the door, and Arthur was silent for a moment.

"And... Knight Taylor?"

Grace had been true to her word and had radioed up to the Prydwen a couple times with status updates on Nora, but... there hadn't been much information to give. She paused and took a breath.

"She's gotten most of her color back," she said. "Most of her blistering and bruising has subsided, and her breathing is almost back to normal - though she's still wheezing a little. Even the wound in her side has been healing well. We'll probably be able to remove the stitches soon, though she'll most likely have a scar there. At this point... we're just waiting for her to wake up, which Captain Cade feels could be any time now. ...It was a very good thing we got to both her and Danse when we did. If we'd been even a couple minutes later..."

She frowned for a moment and shook her head, then smiled softly at Arthur. "Anyway..." she gestured to the door.

He took a deep breath before he reached for the door handle and pushed it in. As he started into the room, he saw Danse - wearing a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, his back to the door - sitting next to Nora's bed. His head turned when he heard footsteps, and widened his eyes when he saw who it was.

"Elder Maxson!" he said, and moved to stand. Arthur waved a hand indifferently.

"Sit, Danse, please... you've been through _enough_ the last few days - no need for formality right now."

Danse slowly sat back down, but kept his eyes on Arthur as he moved to Nora's other side and also pulled up a chair.

"If you need anything, just let me know," Grace said, and nodded at Arthur - who returned the gesture - as she headed away from the room.

He looked down at Nora. She... _did_ look better than when they had found her, he was at least glad to see. She had a small bandage on her forehead, and her skin looked slightly reddish and dry, with the odd bruise here or there. He couldn't see the wound on her left side since she was covered with a blanket, and he _certainly_ wasn't about to go looking - _especially_ with Danse there... but all things considered, she looked fairly well.

 _'Thank God for modern medicine,'_ he thought. His blue eyes looked up to meet Danse's brown, and both men were silent for a moment.

"I... heard we have _you_ to thank for our timely rescue," Danse said quietly. Arthur gave the slightest of nods.

"It was nothing... anyone in my position would have done the same," he replied. Danse stared at him for a moment, then shook his head.

"With all due respect, sir... I don't believe they _would_ have. I know I don't have to remind you how dangerous the Glowing Sea is. Everyone's life was put at risk during the rescue - especially _yours_. If something had gone wrong..." he frowned. "As much as it would be... 'undesirable', our lives as soldiers are expendable. ... _Yours_ is _not_."

Arthur frowned as well. He didn't want to think he had given them special treatment _just_ because of Nora, but... the second he believed she was in trouble, he hadn't even thought twice about rushing head-first into _whatever_ kind of danger there might have been. If it had been _any_ other soldiers, would he have acted the same? Would he have given the same exact orders?

...He refused to think about it. He'd made his choice - what was done was done, no point in wondering about 'what if's.

"I did what I thought was necessary, and stand by my decision," he told Danse.

Danse looked back down at Nora, then sighed after a few seconds. "I'm... sorry, sir," he said. "Perhaps if I had handled the situation differently-"

"-Then Knight Taylor might not be alive right _now_ ," Arthur finished for him firmly. "...or might currently be in a much _worse_ condition. Or we might not have seen the vertibird grenade signal in time - if at _all -_ and then you _both_ would have died."

Danse looked back up at him, and Arthur continued.

"...Like it or not, things could go wrong on missions all the time, Danse. It's _always_ possible for something to go wrong. You can't plan for _every_ situation or possible outcome... you just do the very best you can, and adapt to whatever predicament gets thrown at you." He leaned forward a little. "...Did you perform to the best of your abilities, soldier?"

Danse paused, then nodded slightly.

Arthur nodded back. "Then no more discussion over it. Do _not_ let this be something that torments you time and time again." He shot Danse a pointed, knowing look.

Danse opened his mouth silently for a moment, then shut it and nodded again. "...Thank you, sir."

Arthur grunted quietly. "...Danse... when it's just you and me, you _know_ how I feel about that."

It took Danse a moment to understand his meaning, then the corner of his mouth twitched a little. "Thank you... _Arthur_."

Arthur nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching as well. "And... how have _you_ been feeling? Scribe Williams told me you've been healing well?"

Danse nodded. "When I woke up the other day, it was a bit of an adjustment... but the stimpaks and RadAway I was given helped out a lot, and it didn't take long for things to sort themselves out. My ribs are feeling much better, and I'll be back in service shortly."

"Just don't push yourself too hard," Arthur warned him. "I don't want you returning too prematurely, and risk having you hurt yourself _worse_ because you didn't give yourself the time to heal that you needed."

Danse nodded again, then his eyebrows went up as he remembered. "Oh! I... haven't had time to prepare a formal report on our mission yet..."

Arthur had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and chuckling. This was _so_ typical Danse - the man was in the med bay and healing, and yet _still_ worrying about his duty and paperwork. It was almost comical. He held up a hand and shook his head.

"That... won't be necessary, Danse. I'm sitting _right here_ \- if you're feeling up to it, just _tell_ me what happened."

Danse nodded and recounted his mission with Nora from the beginning - discovering the Children of Atom in the massive crater. Locating Dr. Virgil's cave, narrowly missing the alpha deathclaw the first time, and meeting Dr. Virgil himself - who had turned himself into a super mutant in order to survive the radiation there. The possibility of a serum being created that could _reverse_ the effects of the FEV virus. The 'Molecular Relay' - the _only_ way in and out of the Institute. Their next step in getting there: tracking down and killing an Institute Courser in order to obtain its Courser chip. The confrontation with the deathclaw again while they were on their way back to the edge of the Glowing Sea.

By the time Danse was done speaking, Arthur almost felt like he was getting a migraine trying to take all of this new information in. For starters, the Children of Atom didn't particularly concern him, as long as they didn't cause trouble for other people... but the fact that they had been able to adapt and survive _unaided_ in the immense radiation of the Glowing Sea was certainly... surprising, to say the least.

A possible FEV cure - that piece of news was _beyond_ amazing. If successful, it could mean the end of super mutants _forever_. Hundreds of years of corrupt and inhumane science - wiped out with one antidote. There was also the revelation that Dr. Virgil _himself_ was now a super mutant. Once a research scientist at the Institute - how many super mutants had he created _before_ he escaped? He and his work were a threat... but they needed his information and his assistance if they wanted to take down the Institute at all. It almost turned Arthur's stomach to know that he would have to tolerate this partnership, no matter how temporary.

Locating and killing an Institute Courser for its Courser chip - if there was no other way, there was no other way... but it sounded like an extremely dangerous operation by Danse's information. Arthur would have to ponder that one for a while to figure out how they were going to handle it.

And finally, Danse and Nora's battle with the alpha deathclaw... Arthur couldn't quite believe it. Seasoned Brotherhood soldiers had trouble taking down _regular_ deathclaws, and the one that Arthur had killed when he was 13... well... he had been extremely lucky in that instance. Not only had Danse and Nora's deathclaw been an alpha (bigger in size, and usually _twice_ as strong as a regular deathclaw), but it had been _Nora_ that had dealt the killing blow on it, especially without the use of her rifle - saving Danse's life and wounding herself in the process.

He looked down at Nora in awe. He... didn't know what to make of her sometimes. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she threw him for another loop. Because of her past, he already saw her as strong and rather fearless - but now...

Danse watched Arthur stare down at Nora and fought off a slight smile. He'd known Arthur for, well... a long time, and had only seen him look at someone like that in one other instance... and that was when Arthur was younger, and had any kind of interaction with Sarah Lyons. It seemed like just a boyhood crush at the time, but...

Danse stood up slowly, breaking Arthur's train of thought as his eyes switched over to glance at him.

"I'm... going to go for a little walk, stretch my legs," Danse said. "It'll be good to get a little fresh air... and I know with you and Scribe Williams here, Knight Taylor is in good hands." He started to leave, then paused for a moment. He turned to look back at Arthur. "You know... you should talk to her, let her hear your voice," he said. "Captain Cade had told me that might help bring her around." He smiled softly at the Elder, then turned and headed out of the room.

Arthur looked back down at Nora again. He didn't know when Danse would return, or if Scribe Williams would walk back in the room - let alone anyone _else_ \- but he didn't want to waste an opportunity alone with Nora, even if it lasted for only a moment or two. He pulled his chair closer to her and, after pausing for a moment, slowly reached out and took her hand in his. He opened his mouth and froze, not quite sure what to say,

"...Do you remember..." he found himself saying after a few seconds, "...when we first met, and I promoted you to Knight? ...Instead of being grateful, or saying 'thank you' or something similar, you'd simply asked me why you weren't being made a Paladin like Danse was, instead." He chuckled softly at the memory. "This... vault dweller and her dog, who had managed to save the lives of one of my best Paladins - one of my best _soldiers -_ and the rest of his recon squad. And you hadn't even had any formal military training, yourself. I mean... I know now that your husband did, but _you_ didn't. And you still managed to impress Paladin Danse - a feat in and of itself."

"When I saw you standing at the back of the room during my address, I thought, _'This is HER? Impossible... it_ _can't_ _be.'_ You looked like... something off of a Vault-Tec poster, not a soldier ready for battle... not someone who had saved three people from a horde of feral ghouls, armed with just a 10mm pistol and a german shepherd. But you surprised Danse, and you surprised me - especially after your mission at Fort Strong."

"And when you told me about your husband having known Roger Maxson, I couldn't believe it - what were the odds?" He shook his head a little. "The coincidence was astonishing. And the more missions you and Danse went on, the more you kept surprising me - the Memory Den with Dr. Amari, the recon mission in which you found Paladin Brandis... then you finally opened up to me and told me about your past - what had happened to your husband and son." He sighed softly and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "No one... should _ever_ have to go through the things you've been through."

"But despite all that, you _still_ accomplished all that you have since joining the Brotherhood of Steel. And you haven't complained about it or shown any weakness since." His voice suddenly grew very quiet. "I... saw you that night. ...With Brandis. Slow dancing in the power armor bay, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. You didn't know I was watching. I'd... never seen Paladin Brandis smile like that before. I hadn't ever heard you laugh before. And... it was a sound I enjoyed hearing." He paused a moment, then a smiled a little. "When I saw his arm go around you... I disliked it. As if I had any reason to feel that way. Isn't that foolish?"

He shook his head a little. "The next morning, before you left the Prydwen with Danse... you were afraid that I might find you 'weak' - as if such a thing would even be _possible_. You and Danse came back later that day with news from that ghoul you'd become acquainted with. And that's when I started to see your stubborn side, and a little bit of your temper." He smiled at the memory. "You opened up to me more, at the risk of any anger or punishment I might have had to give you, and defended those you thought deserved it. Even if I didn't like it at the time - and _still_ am not 100% sure how I feel about either of those characters - I admired that about you."

"You gave me that photograph..." his voice lowered again, "and... I think that meant more to me than anything I've _ever_ gotten. I don't... have much left to show for my family. Seeing that photo was like... getting a little piece back, if only for a little while. And then... there was that night outside, at the forecastle..." Arthur blushed at the memory of it, glad that no one could see him doing so right now. "I got to hear a little more about your past... shared a little of my own. ...I've never been able to talk to someone about things like I feel I can with _you_ , Nora." His thumb rubbed the back of her hand gently. "When you hugged me like that... no one... has _ever_..." he trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

He was quiet for a minute or two, then continued on slowly, his voice a bit heavier now.

"I don't... know what's going to happen in the future," he said. "I don't know what fate has in store for us - for _any_ of us, really. I just know that... I don't want to bring this fight to the Institute... without _you_. Not just because that's what the Brotherhood _came_ here to do... not just because the preservation of technology is what the Brotherhood stands for... because I want you to get some justice for everything that's happened to you. I want you to find your son." He paused, then squeezed her hand gently.

"...I want... to see you _happy_ , Nora."

He sighed softly and closed his eyes as he sat there for a moment, not sure what else to say.

Suddenly, he felt something move a little against his hand. His eyes shot open, not sure if he'd just imagined it. He looked down at his hand, still holding Nora's. He was beginning to think he _had_ just imagined it, when it happened again - her fingers twitched a little and squeezed his hand back weakly.

* * *

Darkness. That was the first thing she was aware of. That, and fatigue... she felt _sooooo_ tired. So weak. She hated it. She wasn't quite sure what had happened, but she wanted things to be back to normal - well... as normal as they usually were now. As normal as it _could_ be, constantly fighting insane creatures like super mutants, radscorpions, deathclaws...

...Deathclaws. That struck a chord. Something... something had happened with a deathclaw... she thought. Where... was she? What had happened? ...The Glowing Sea. She remembered being there. ...Danse had been with her.

...Danse! What happened to Danse?

 _'Protect Danse...'_ \- that was one of her last thoughts she remembered from before. ...No... there were other thoughts after that.

... _'Promise me...'_ \- promise what? ...Something about the Institute. Thinking that she had failed. ...Asking Danse to carry on for her. And then, darkness.

She _must_ be still alive, if she was thinking all this now... right?

She... heard voices. They sounded muffled, far away... but still she heard them. ...Masculine. She knew those voices. She didn't know how she knew, or immediately know who they belonged to, but they _were_ voices she knew, she was sure of it. Then... silence. She was about to slip back into darkness, let fatigue overtake her again... when one of the voices returned.

She felt something (literally)... what was that... her hand, she realized. Someone was... holding it. Had squeezed it a little. The voice continued on, sounding a little less far away, slightly clearer. Something rubbed gently against the back of her hand. It felt... soothing. Better than the darkness she had felt trapped in. She concentrated on that, trying to use it to help pull her forward. Oh, it was hard... _so_ tired... but she concentrated her energy as best she could.

Her hand felt squeezed again, and she heard her name - she was sure of it. She felt light behind her eyelids, but with it came heaviness throughout her entire body. ...She was lying down ...but lying down _where_? It took her a moment to realize the voice had stopped, and she felt herself slipping back again.

 _'No no no... move something,'_ she thought. _'Do_ _something_ _. I'm here... I can hear you...'_

...Her hand. The one that was being held. She concentrated on it once more. She never imagined it would seem _so_ hard just to wiggle a finger or two... there. Finally. It was slight, but she had done it. Nothing... try again, Nora. One more time, come on. This time, she was thankful that it was just a tiny bit easier. She twitched her fingers a little, then pushed herself to close them slowly around the hand holding hers. A big, strong, masculine hand - she could feel it.

"... _Nora?_ "

A male voice - definitely clearer now, sounding soft. Definitely familiar. Okay... the next thing was obvious to her, but easier said than done.

 _'Open your eyes.'_ Her eyelids twitched slightly. _'Come on... you're going to have to to do better than that...'_

With all of the energy she could muster, she slowly cracked open one of her eyes the tiniest bit. Her vision was blurry, but she could see a large-framed man sitting to her immediate right, that much she could discern - before her eye betrayed her and shut again before she could stop it.

Her mind spitting all kinds of silent curses at her body, she fought to open her eyes again - and this time, _both_ of them obeyed. They still only opened a small sliver, but she fought to focus on the figure beside her, trying to place a face with the voice. As her vision struggled to focus, she tried to pick out any details that might assist her. Dark hair... light eyes.. bearded face... dark clothing, lighter around the collar...

...She knew that coat... if she hadn't been as weak, she would have grinned. Her lips parted slowly, and she could feel how dry and slightly cracked they were. Her voice came out a quiet, hoarse whisper - one that she almost didn't recognize.

"...A-Ar...th-thur?"

* * *

Arthur gaped down at Nora, frozen in shock for a moment. "It's me," he whispered, then swallowed nervously as he squeezed her hand again. "I'm here," he said softly, a little louder than last time.

The corner of her mouth twitched the tiniest bit, and she took a shaky breath before she spoke again. "I told you... I'd make it back... to you again," she mumbled slowly.

He couldn't help the soft laugh that spilled out of him. He shook his head a little and with his free hand, couldn't resist cupping her cheek and stroking it gently with his thumb, warmth blooming in his chest.

"And I told you," he responded tenderly, "that I would always be here, waiting for you."

The corners of her mouth turned up a little more, but then fell as she grunted and fought to open her eyes wider.

"..Danse...?" she questioned quietly.

"He's fine," Arthur replied. "Almost completely healed, save for a sore rib or two... but out of bed and walking around - and from what I hear, has barely left your side."

 _'...Except for when_ _I_ _showed up,'_ he suddenly thought. _'He chose_ _that_ _particular_ _moment to go for a walk?'_

His mind was suddenly reminded of the night he'd seen Danse hugging Nora at the forecastle. When he'd caught Arthur nearby, he had 'subtly' suggested that Nora was still outside if he needed someone to talk to.

 _' _...Does he... suspect something?'_ _ Arthur thought, feeling his face flush a little. He didn't know if he was grateful for Danse's sudden departure or embarrassed. He shook his head mentally - something to worry about later, not right now - and focused back on Nora.

"Arthur..." she breathed, her voice sounding a little stronger, a little more firm by the minute, "...about Dr. Virgil..."

He shook his head. "Danse filled me in about the entire mission. But don't - we can figure it out _later_ , when you've gained your strength back. For now, you just need to rest."

She frowned, her eyes wandering aimlessly off to the side as she thought. "How... long have I... been out?" she asked softly.

He hesitated, then let out a small sigh. "...It's been three days since we rescued you and Danse from the Glowing Sea."

"... _Three days?_ " she rasped, her eyes widening as she suddenly looked more awake. She struggled to sit up and hissed at a sudden sharp pain in her side.

Arthur's eyes widened also as his hand dropped from her cheek, placing it on her shoulder as he firmly but gently pushed her back down. "What on Earth do you think you're _doing_?" he challenged her. "You are not going _anywhere_ right now."

"I've wasted _enough_ time," she moaned, propping herself up against her pillow with effort. "I have to-"

"You _have_ to do _nothing_ but _rest_ ," Arthur demanded. "Even if you _were_ to head back up to the Prydwen - which I am _not_ allowing without Cade or Scribe William's say-so - your and Danse's power armor is still back at the Glowing Sea. We haven't had time to send a team to recover it yet, much less _repair_ it."

Nora sighed heavily, then looked around her, noticing her surroundings for the first time. "Where.. are we?" she asked uncertainly.

"The airport infirmary," he replied. "You were... in a lot of danger when the rescue team and I found you. Scribe Williams, who'd come along with us, brought you and Danse here to be taken care of."

She stared at him for a few seconds, his words sinking in.

" 'The rescue team... and _I_ '?" she repeated slowly.

Arthur froze as he realized his slip. "Er... yes," he admitted reluctantly. "As soon as the grenade signal was spotted, I ordered a vertibird to head out - with Paladin Williams, Knights Brooks and Petris, and Scribe Williams."

"But... _you_ came too?" she asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

He felt his face grow warm. "It... wasn't even a question for me," he murmured.

"It was dangerous," she countered. "I mean... dangerous enough for the _other_ soldiers. But... you're the Elder of the _entire Brotherhood_." The concern on her face was clear. "Arthur... what if something... had happened to you? What would the Brotherhood have done then?"

He tensed, not used to being reprimanded by his own soldiers.

"I didn't care!" he blurted out before he could stop himself. He sighed heavily as she stared at him. "I... I didn't care," he repeated quietly. "I know what I am to the Brotherhood. It didn't matter at the time. ...I didn't care what happened to me. I cared what happened to _you._ I couldn't rest until..." he paused, his heart hammering in his chest. Did he dare...?

He took a deep breath, mustered up all the courage he had, and looked her right in the eyes.

"...until _I_ knew for a _fact_ that you were out of harm's way again, that you would be okay," he said, his voice becoming low and rough-sounding. "...until you were safely in my arms again."

Nora felt all at once like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. Breathing was quickly becoming something that required thought and effort. The way he was suddenly looking at her was searing. She realized Arthur was still holding her right hand, and reached up impulsively with her left. She paused for a second by his face, then ever-so-slowly and carefully brushed her fingertips against his bearded right cheek.

His eyelids closed slowly with a quiet exhale as she slid her palm along his cheek, feeling his soft hair against her skin. She gently caressed the area above his beard as well, tracing her fingertips painstakingly up and down the scar running across his cheek.

His lips parted, and he fought to hold back the small moan that threatened to leave his throat. No one had ever touched him like this before, with such tender and intimate affection. He leaned into her touch, wanting to feel every sensation the physical contact would give him. It took him a moment to realize that his free hand had moved up to cover the one on his cheek, sliding his fingers in between hers. He opened his eyes again slowly, and swallowed hard at the expression on Nora's face.

Her eyes were transfixed on him, looking awestruck, her pupils gradually enlarging.

He found himself leaning closer to her slowly, feeling almost hypnotized.

 _'This... I shouldn't be doing this...'_ he thought to himself, but the concern disappeared in a microsecond when he noticed her leaning forward as well.

The space between their faces began to gradually decrease, until they were only an inch or two apart. His eyes flickered downward as he watched her lips part and sighed softly, feeling her own gentle breath against his skin.

Both sets of eyes slowly slid closed as they leaned forward to eliminate the last bit of agonizing space between them...

"I heard voices, I think she's awake!"

"Matt! I don't think that's a good idea..." a couple voices sounded from outside of the room.

Arthur and Nora's eyes flew wide open, and he flew backwards away from her so fast that she thought he might topple out of his chair completely. She gasped as the door to the room flew open and Brooks poked his head in, upbeat attitude in tow as usual.

"Hey! She _is_ awake!" he grinned - and despite his cheeriness, she had never wanted to throttle a fellow brother-in-steel so badly in her entire life.

Arthur's expression wasn't much better - right now he was glaring at Brooks like he wanted to throw him through a window.

Grace appeared behind Brooks as he entered and shot both Arthur and Nora an apologetic look.

" _Matt..._ " she said quietly through gritted teeth. Brooks either ignored her or was completely oblivious.

"Oh, Elder Maxson! I didn't know you were here too," he said, finally noticing the man staring daggers at him.

Arthur cleared his throat, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. "I... should be heading back up to the Prydwen anyway," he mumbled. "I was just... seeing how Knight Taylor and Paladin Danse were recovering." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Yeah, luckily Paladin Danse pulled through really quickly. He seems like he's almost totally healed. It's good to see you conscious again too, Nora!" Brooks smiled as he looked over at her "Though... maybe you still need a little recovery time. You're looking like you may still be running a bit of a fever -"

"All right _Knight_ , that's _enough_." Grace cut in, grabbing him roughly by the arm, "Let's give the Elder another moment to speak with Knight Taylor _privately_." She started to tug on his arm, but Brooks looked over at her curiously.

"...What? What's the- ah! All right, all right, I'm moving!" Grace had given up on his arm and grabbed the cuff of his ear instead as she dragged him towards the door and out into the hallway.

Nora sighed as she looked back over at Arthur bashfully. He was still scowling at the now empty doorway.

"...I could have him scrubbing the flight deck floor for _weeks_ ," he muttered, more to himself than Nora. He was shaken from his train of thought when he heard her giggle (which she hadn't been able to hold back) and shake her head.

"Trust me - he still wouldn't learn anything," she quipped.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly very aware of how close they had come to...

"I guess... you really _do_ have to get going, huh?" she asked him softly.

He nodded reluctantly. "I'm afraid so... there's never any end to the mundane tasks an Elder has to be responsible for." He paused, then met her eyes - a regretful expression on his face. "...I'm sorry..." he said softly. She shook her head.

"Don't be," she replied. "I should get as much rest as I can, anyway... the sooner I get better, the sooner _I_ can come back up to the Prydwen too." Her face warmed again at the thought of finishing what she and Arthur had almost started.

Arthur seemed to read her thoughts, because she noticed a slight pink color returning to his cheeks. He stood up and walked closer to her, then after a moment's hesitation, he slowly leaned down and brushed his soft lips against her forehead longingly. Nora's skin tingled from the contact, her pulse starting to race again.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised. He trailed his fingertips over her cheek one last time, before he unwillingly pulled himself away from her side and headed out of the room.

* * *

END NOTE:  
-"It is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails."  
\- Niccolò Machiavelli, 'The Prince'

\- ::ducks rotten fruit:: ...I know, I know, I'm totally and completely awful! ::laughs evilly when she things no one's looking:: ...I swear, _SOON_! Very very soon! Lol! (Poor Brooks... he means well, but is such a pain in the butt, LOL)

\- Yes, I know... the whole 'you brought me back' thing is kind of cliché. ...I don't care, these two needed some happiness, LOL. Be prepared, it probably won't be the 1st cliché moment these two have. And by that I mean... it _definitely_ won't be. ;-D


	20. Chapter 20 - Bonds, Part 2

BEGINNING NOTE:  
Wow, 20 chapters already! (Longest chapter YET!) Seems like only yesterday I was starting things out on shaky legs! Thanks *SO* much to all my reviewers! You guys are really fantastic, and your kind words really help keep pushing me forward! It means so much that you guys have stuck with me thus far. Yeah, this fic is probably going to be quite a long one.. hope you all continue to read and enjoy!

\- To 'Paladin Bailey' (FanfictionDotNet) = I can't PM you, so I gotta address your comment here, lol. Without spoiling anything, I already have a pretty good idea how I'm going to handle the whole 'Blind Betrayal' situation for my favorite trio. I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be rough for them all. They all have different relationships with each other (friend or otherwise), and it's such a tough situation that none of them are going to emerge unscathed... 'hopefully' things will work themselves out! ;-)

\- A special thanks go to 'The Last thing you Never See' (FanfictionDotNet): without her, I might have shot myself (repeatedly) from frustration trying to get this chapter done. She was a tremendous, amazing help - this one's for YOU, chica!

* * *

After Arthur had left the room at the infirmary, Nora took a deep breath, willing her pulse to return back to normal. Her forehead still tingled from where he had tenderly kissed her skin, as well as her cheek where his fingertips had trailed before he'd slowly walked away. His lips had been so soft against her flesh, and she wished they hadn't been interrupted earlier. Their faces... their lips... had been _so_ close to meeting...

Brooks poked his head back into the room, and she had to resist the strong urge to roll her eyes.

 _'Thanks Brooks, I owe you one,'_ she thought sarcastically.

"So... is it safe to come in _now?_ " he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, and she had to wonder just what Scribe Williams had told him after he been dragged from the room by his ear a few minutes earlier.

" _Matt_..." Scribe Williams' warning tone came from down the hall. He looked back over his shoulder innocently.

"Whaat? I was just _asking_ her..."

Try as she might, Nora couldn't stop the slight chuckle that came from watching the back-and-forth between the two.

"You guys seem really close," she remarked with a soft smile.

He turned back towards her and grinned. "Oh yeah, we're practically family - same with Paladin Williams and their son Jake, too - ever since-" his grin faded for a moment and she raised her eyebrows at his sudden change in demeanor.

"...Sore spot?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm sorry... I didn't... mean to-"

He shook his head as he walked into the room and sat in one of the chairs next to her bed. "No no, it's all right, you didn't know..." He rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath.

"I've actually known the Williams' for... quite a while now, back in the Capital Wasteland. To make a longer story short, Sam - Paladin Williams - rescued me when I was a lot younger from a bunch of centaurs that some damn super mutants had let loose, and Grace-" he jerked a thumb backwards towards the door, "-helped heal me up afterwards. They kinda looked after me after that, and when Jacob came around, I just kind of kept sticking around. When the time was right, Williams made me an Initiate."

Nora was quiet for a moment. "You were all alone until then? What... happened to your family?"

He shook his head solemnly. "My mom died when I was real little, and then it was just my dad and I for a while. We kept moving from place to place, trying to find somewhere to call home... but nowhere was really safe. Then when the centaurs came..." he shuddered and shook his head again.

She frowned and sighed heavily.

 _' _God... I really am beginning to think that no one in this time had a happy childhood. No one's ever had a time in which there wasn't some kind of horrible hardship in their lives. Danse... Arthur... now Brooks...you'd think I'd just be used to it by now, but it never gets easier to hear.'__

She was silent for another minute, then looked up at him curiously. "What the heck's... a 'centaur'? Not like... the mythological creature?"

Brooks stared at her blankly for a moment as he slowly raised an eyebrow, then blinked. "Oh, right... the Commonwealth doesn't _have_ those here, and you're from a vault." He lightly smacked his forehead with his palm. "Sorry, I forget sometimes. It's... well... you know how super mutants sometimes infect dogs with the FEV, and it mutates them?"

Nora nodded, and Brooks' face grew grim.

"Well... centaurs make mutant dogs look like _adorable puppies_. They're these... absolute _monstrosities_ that are bigger than a brahmin. They seem to be a mix of humans and other creatures. They have a large, misshapen torso and six humanoid arms that serve as legs. They also have three long, tentacle-like tongues coming out of their mouth. They spit radioactive acid and sometimes emit noxious gas. They're... absolutely the stuff of _nightmares_. And I would say that even if they _hadn't_... well... you know."

"They sound positively horrifying..." she agreed, her stomach tightening as she pictured them in her mind.

"They are," came a soft voice from behind them. She and Brooks both turned to see Scribe Williams standing in the doorway, a troubled look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just came to check on Knight Taylor... I didn't mean to overhear."

"It's all right," Brooks said with a sad smile. "I was just recounting the 'epic saga' that is Brooks."

Nora couldn't help giggling and Scribe Williams rolled her eyes but smiled as she entered the room. Nora found that she was developing a liking for Scribe Williams.

"Please," she said with a smile, " 'Nora' is fine."

"Well... only if you return the favor and call me 'Grace', at least when formality isn't needed," she smiled back.

Nora looked back over at Brooks for a moment as Grace started checking her pulse, then cleared her throat. "...Brooks... you shared your past with me, so I might as well return the favor."

"Oh no-" Brooks said suddenly and held up his hands in front of him. "...no offense Nora, but I don't wanna have to scrub the Prydwen's deck..."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "I won't let that happen, I promise. So... it's probably glaringly obvious by now that there's more to my story than just 'I lived in a vault'."

"Ohhh yeah," Brooks said. "In fact... there's probably _several_ questions I have for you lately, but I guess we should stick to the vault-related ones." He grinned again and winked slyly at her.

She tried to stop the blush she felt rising to her face, having a pretty good idea what he was referring to.

Grace smacked his arm quasi-kiddingly. "Honestly..." she muttered. "You're exhausting sometimes."

Nora laughed and went on. "The thing is... I wasn't _born_ in Vault 111." Her smile faded a little. "I was born here in Boston."

One of Brooks' eyebrows raised at the unfamiliar city name.

"...About... 210 years ago," she added hesitantly.

There went the other eyebrow. He sat silently for a few seconds, then blinked a few times and shook his head.

"...I'm sorry... _what_?" he asked, then rubbed one of his ears. "I couldn't _possibly_ have heard that correctly."

Grace, meanwhile, was still holding Nora's wrist - but was staring at her now, as if Nora had suddenly gone insane.

She nodded slowly. "I was born in 2053," she said softly. I grew up here. When the bombs dropped-"

" _What?_ " Brooks interjected incredulously. " 'When the _bombs dropped_ '?! Nora-" his hands flew up to his hair in disbelief, "-how is something like that even _remotely_ possible?!"

She took a deep breath. "Remember the day you introduced yourself to me, and you asked what Vault 111 did to us?" Brooks nodded, eyes wide. "Well..."

She went over the whole story - _again_ \- up until hunting down Kellogg and seeing the Prydwen's arrival in the Commonwealth, but leaving out Nick's role in the story (just in case), and what happened in Concord with the Minutemen.

By the time she was done, Brooks and Grace both looked positively horrified.

"So... this isn't a joke. Seriously. You're technically... 234 years old," Brooks said carefully, still trying to take the revelations in.

Nora nodded.

"You were around... _before_ the 'Great War'. When the whole Commonwealth... hell, the whole world was a _totally_ different place."

Another nod.

"You... saw the bombs hit _right_ before going into the vault at the last possible second."

Nod.

"...And your husband... your son..."

Nod.

"Oh God..." Grace whispered. "Nora..."

"...I can't tell you I'm 'over it', because how would one _truly_ ever 'get over' something like that?" Nora said softly. "But... everyone nowadays seems to have their own horrible story to tell, and that just happens to be _mine_."

Brooks sat their silently for a few moments, then slowly reached over, took her hand, and gave it a small squeeze. "...I'm sorry," he said sympathetically.

She nodded and squeezed his hand back. "Me too, with _your_ past," she replied.

He nodded, then his eyes widened a little. "So wait... the Institute still has your son? You can still get him _back_?"

"That's the idea," Nora said. "The mission in the Glowing Sea was to find an escaped Institute scientist that could provide a little insight on finding and entering the Institute. Once I can get in there, I'm finding my son and putting a stop to those bastards once and for all."

Grace and Brooks just stared at her for another few seconds, neither really sure what to say.

Suddenly, a voice boomed from behind them.

"There she is!"

The three of them turned to see a grinning Knight Womack in the doorway, followed by a more subdued but still-smiling Knight Petris behind him. "The woman of the hour!" He walked in and leaned on Brooks' shoulder.

"Nora, honey - I know you must have missed me terribly while I was away blasting super mutants, but there are _better_ ways to get my attention." He winked at her as Brooks and Nora both snorted, Petris rolled his eyes, and Grace shook her head.

"Men..." Grace muttered.

"Glad to see you awake, Taylor," Petris nodded at her. "We were worried you might not make it through when we initially found you and Paladin Danse... you _both_ were in rough shape, but you _especially_."

"...I'm just grateful you guys got to us when you _did_ ," Nora smiled, and looked from Petris to Brooks to Grace, who smiled back at her. "Thanks for having our backs, guys."

"Yeah yeah yeah, hearts and rainbows and all that - I wanna hear about that alpha deathclaw you guys fought!" Womack said eagerly as he grabbed a chair and sat next to Brooks. "You gotta tell me everything!"

Nora laughed and shook her head. "There... isn't that much to tell, really..."

Womack wasn't having it. "Well, start at the beginning!"

* * *

"...so I grabbed this jagged piece of metal I saw, jumped as hard as I could, and landed on its back. When it turned its ginormous head around to look at me, I jammed it as hard as I could into its good eye. It flipped out, threw me off of it, and must have gotten me with its claws or something before I hit the ground."

Nora paused and raised her eyebrows at the faces staring back at her in wide-eyed awe - even Grace was staring at her in astonishment. She began to blush a little, suddenly feeling somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention she was receiving.

" _Damn_ ," Womack finally exhaled. "That's incredible... that was really 'ballsy' of you."

"It was really _foolish_ of her," a deep voice admonished from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Danse standing there, looking unamused. "She _easily_ could have gotten killed - and almost _did_."

"Danse!" Nora exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of him (even despite his tone). His eyes narrowed slightly at her.

"Don't think you're off the hook, _Knight_ ," he said sternly. "You still have a good reprimand coming to you for your actions."

"Oh Paladin, she _just_ woke up," Grace pleaded. "And she's had to entertain _these_ clowns for the last several minutes. Don't you think she's been punished _enough?_ "

"HEY!" the other men all protested in unison.

Nora giggled, and she was pretty sure she saw the corners of Danse's mouth twitch suspiciously.

Brooks stared back at Nora. "...But seriously, you're like... Grognak the Barbarian!" he exclaimed.

The other men and Nora laughed, minus Danse - who tried to continue looking stern, but couldn't help it as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards a bit more.

Grace shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "Brooks... no woman, at _any_ time - _EVER_ \- wants to be compared to Grognak the Barbarian."

"It's probably why you're still single," remarked Womack with a grin.

"I'm still single because your _mom_ had a three month waiting list," Brooks retorted, then swerved to avoid the jab in the shoulder that Womack tried to give him.

" _Enough_ , boys!" lectured Grace. "I think it's safe to say that Knight Taylor's had enough for one day - let's give her and Paladin Danse some privacy for a while, shall we?"

Womack and Brooks sighed dramatically and Petris looked over at Nora, a weary look on his face.

"...Please, _please_ get better soon," he pleaded quietly. "You have _no_ idea... they're so much _worse_ when you're not around."

Nora giggled as he and the other soldiers shuffled out.

"We'll catch ya later, Taylor!" Womack called out. "I wanna see that scar when you're back aboard the Prydwen!"

"OUT!" barked Grace, giving him a shove down the hall.

Danse shook his head, not sure if he should be amused at the exchange or not, and turned back to Nora - who was now looking at him sheepishly.

"So... I guess you're going to yell at me _now_?" she asked timidly.

He sighed as he slowly walked over to her bed and sat in one of the nearby chairs. There was silence between the two for a few long seconds.

"...How are you feeling?" he finally asked her.

"Well... glad to be _alive_ , for one thing," she replied. Danse chuckled a little. "A little sore," she continued, "and obviously kinda tired, but... stimpaks are an incredible thing, and I think I'll be my old stubborn self again in no time. And... you were right. It _was_ stupid of me."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise as she shook her head.

" _But_... I would _still_ do it again in a heartbeat and risk whatever wrath the Brotherhood _or_ you had to give me." She reached out to him and took one of his hands, squeezing it gently. "I could never stand by and just let something bad happen to you Danse, no matter what _anyone_ told me to do. If had done nothing, or hadn't done what I did, that deathclaw _WAS_ going to kill you, no question. It was a split-second decision, one that I don't regret and will _not_ apologize for. ...And do _not_ tell me that you wouldn't have done _exactly_ the same thing if the roles had been reversed." She shot him a pointed look.

He looked up at her and sighed. "Damn it, Taylor... I really wanted to yell."

She laughed at the inadvertent pout growing on his face. In his own weird way, Danse could be kind of adorable sometimes. "Would it make you feel better if I told everyone that you _really_ laid into me?" she asked with a grin.

He couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on his face. "...It might," he said wryly.

Her face fell as a thought suddenly hit her. "Oh my God, I completely forgot - how are _you_?" she asked. "I'm _so_ sorry... I got distracted with the other guys here..."

Danse shook his head and held up his free hand. "It's all right, I'm fine. I healed faster than you because I hadn't been exposed to as much radiation. I received a couple cracked ribs for my trouble with the deathclaw, but those healed quickly too. I'm just waiting on the say-so from Captain Cade to return to the Prydwen. They'll probably give me a couple lighter missions to start - same as you when you also return - then have us back to our normal routine soon."

She looked away from him and was quiet for a moment. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us," she said softly. "There's a lot we need to do before we can take down the Institute... like finding a Courser and getting its chip for Virgil."

"...I know," Danse nodded, and squeezed her hand a little. "But... as much as I know you hate hearing it, we have to be patient. We'll never be able to stop them if we're not at the top of our game, soldier. You know that."

Nora nodded reluctantly. She looked back at him and smiled as she changed the subject. "So... I hear you barely left my side while I was unconscious."

His face pinkened a little. "...I had to make sure you didn't wake up and do something _else_ impetuously," he mumbled. She giggled and shook her head.

The pair were interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. They turned to see Paladin Brandis standing in the doorway, smiling softly at two of them.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you two," he told them, "but I was sent by Captain Cade. He wanted me to let Paladin Danse know that he's been cleared to return to the Prydwen, and can report back for duty as of tomorrow."

Danse turned back to Nora, uncertainty on his face, but she motioned towards the door with her head.

"Go," she said quietly. "I'll be fine, I promise. You know me - I bounce back quickly. I'm almost back to normal now, anyway."

He nodded and gave her hand one last gentle squeeze, before releasing it and heading for the door. He gave Brandis a light pat on the shoulder and lowered his voice.

"...Watch out for that one," he murmured quietly.

"You don't have to tell _me_ twice," Brandis remarked back dryly.

"I can hear you _both_ ," they heard Nora retort with sarcasm, and turned to see her arms crossed in front of her with a mock pout on her face. They both chuckled as Danse headed out of the room and down the hall.

Brandis watched him go for a moment, then turned back to Nora.

"...Do you have time for one more visitor? I hear you've been quite popular today."

She held a hand in front of her like a schedule and pretended to flip through pages.

"I _suppose_ I can pencil you in," she quipped.

Brandis chuckled and took a seat next to her bed as she grinned back at him.

"So... any news on your leave?" she asked carefully, not wanting to seem rude.

He shook his head. "Unfortunately no... I believe the current threats to the Commonwealth have delayed an assessment of the situation." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "...Maybe it's for the best," he mused. "I'm _still_ not entirely sure I'm still cut out for duty."

"Don't say that," Nora countered. "You survived out in the wasteland for _three years_ , totally _alone_ , with little more than your laser rifle and your Brotherhood armor to protect you. A seasoned soldier probably wouldn't have made it _half_ that long."

"...Look at Danse," she went on when he looked a bit doubtful. "He's one of the best soldiers I've ever _seen_. And half of Recon Squad Gladius _still_ didn't make it before the Prydwen arrived in the Commonwealth. _Not_ because it was his fault, or because his leadership skills are lacking - despite what _he_ thinks about it - but because sometimes in life, bad things just happen." She reached forward and squeezed his hand gently.

"You can try to prepare _all_ you want, have an endless amount of intel and/or supplies - but sometimes there _is_ no preparing for a situation. It's a very dangerous world we live in now. All we can do is our best. And like I said - if you can survive on your own with that little, _clearly_ you still have what it takes to kick this Commonwealth's ass and come home in time for dinner!"

Brandis couldn't help but chuckle at her description, but his smile soon faded again sadly. "I just... wish that the rest of my squad had been as fortunate," he murmured. "If I'd-"

"Don't drive yourself crazy with all that _could_ have been," she interjected. "You can't do anything to change the past. You made the best decisions that you could've at that time. _You_ didn't kill those soldiers. You did what you could to _save_ them. No one can ask more of you than that."

He was silent for a few moments, contemplating her words. "...I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I... certainly didn't mean to visit you just to discuss my _own_ insecurities."

She shook her head and smiled reassuringly. "Don't be," she replied. "As weird as it might sound, it makes me feel good to know we can talk like this. If it helps, I can kind of understand how you feel. I mean, I know I haven't been through what _you_ have... but when I was in the Glowing Sea with Danse fighting that damn deathclaw, all I could think about was doing whatever it took to save his life, even if it put _myself_ in harm's way."

He nodded. "As much as it feels good to be part of a team, and as much as it gets the job done quicker... sometimes it only makes it that much harder if not all of you make it back."

She looked downwards, getting lost in thought. "It... never gets any easier, does it?" she murmured somberly, thinking of past conversations with Arthur and Danse. "No matter what happens... you're always worrying about someone _else_."

Brandis shook his head. "I wish I could tell you _otherwise_ , Taylor... but it never does. It's one of the tougher aspects of being a soldier." He gave her a sad smile. "No one ever said our job was easy. Imagine how Elder Maxson must feel, having the _entire_ Eastern Brotherhood of Steel to be responsible for."

She felt a twist in her stomach. She was willing to bet that _most_ Brotherhood soldiers took Arthur's job for granted, if they even stopped to think about it at _all_. All the loneliness he must have felt as a child... all the hardships and obstacles he'd been forced to overcome at such a young age... and people responded by either forming a cult around him or simply seeing him as the 'surly Elder'. Due to propriety, he wasn't even able to sit and play cards with his fellow soldiers like Nora and Danse had been able to do. It went without saying, but it just... wasn't fair.

"I... can't," she replied sadly. "I can't even _imagine_ the weight that must be on that man's shoulders on a daily basis. To have to be accountable for _every_ soldier..." she shook her head and sighed.

Although... hadn't she put _herself_ into that position when Preston had made her the General of the Minutemen? She saw herself as more of a _figurehead_ , really, since Preston was taking care of a lot of the legwork and had refused the position himself. But still... she had just as much of a responsibility to help the people of the Commonwealth as Arthur did (or almost, anyway), and right now the biggest threat to the Commonwealth was the _Institute_. And the next step in _that_ whole plan was-

Brandis nodded, shaking her out of her thoughts once more.

"It's not a job I envy," he agreed. "But at any rate... I should let you rest." He stood and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Try not to let things like that worry you, Taylor... it may be a 'messy' job, but _someone's_ got to do it, and we're the best hope the Commonwealth has for a better future."

He smiled softly and nodded at her again, Nora returning his nod, before he headed out of the room.

She settled back down in her hospital bed to get a little sleep, her mind _anything_ but at rest.

* * *

Having her stitches removed from above her hip the next day was both a bit of a pain (literally) and a relief. They had begun to get a bit itchy, which Captain Cade said was apparently a good sign for healing. And yes - due to the stimpak's rapid healing ability, she already had a long, pink scar that she'd most likely carry with her for the rest of her life.

...Wonderful.

On the plus side, Cade - pleased with her healing progress - allowed her back aboard the Prydwen. Like Danse had predicted, he recommended simple, light missions for a short while to ease her way back into things.

"Oh, there is one _more_ thing," Cade had told her before he let her leave the infirmary. "While you were unconscious, we took the liberty of removing a little of your blood. With your... past history, we thought we might be able to use it, study it to help improve the effectiveness of our anti-radiation medicine. Under the circumstances, we didn't think you'd mind too much." She shook her head, which made him smile. "Excellent! We'll let you know if we make any progress on it. You're excused, Knight."

She practically skipped to the vertibird shuttle to the Prydwen. She'd spent _enough_ time in the infirmary - even if she'd been unconscious for _most_ of it - and was definitely ready to get back to business. The lancer (Knight Lucas, she thought his name was) nodded and smiled politely at her as she eagerly boarded the aircraft.

"Good to see you up and around again, Knight," he greeted.

"Great to _be_ up and around again, Knight," she grinned back. She looked down at herself, scrutinizing the part of her appearance she could see.

She felt like she had lost a little bit of weight since she & Danse had left for the Glowing Sea. Her dark blonde hair was hanging straight down her back. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and sweatpants, pretty much the same as Danse when _he'd_ gone back up to the Prydwen yesterday. She'd have to get another flight suit from Proctor Teagan - her other one had been beyond saving. She certainly didn't look her best... but at least she no longer looked her worst, either.

As the vertibird docked and she stepped out onto the Prydwen's deck, she saw Lancer-Captain Kells talking to another soldier in power armor from a distance away, his back to her. He turned when he saw her heading his way and nodded at her.

"Knight Taylor, a quick word." He nodded back at the other soldier. "Dismissed, Knight." The soldier in armor nodded and headed towards the vertibirds. Kells stood with his arms behind his back.

"Well... it seems I've underestimated you, soldier."

Nora wasn't quite sure what to say. "I... I'm not sure I understand, sir," she replied somewhat questioningly.

He cleared his throat a little. "When I first met you, I was convinced that Paladin Danse... might not have exercised the best judgment on recruiting you for the Brotherhood," he admitted.

She remembered that all too well: her first day aboard the Prydwen, before she'd heard Arthur's address, before she'd even set foot _inside_ the Prydwen - there was Kells, telling her that she looked like a 'pre-war relic' and _not_ a soldier, and basically warned her not to get in the way.

"But - I daresay that you have surprised us _all_ a little," he continued. "You've done well on your missions thus far, and even saved the life of one of our finest Paladins. Perhaps Paladin Danse knew what he was doing after all."

"...Careful Captain Kells," she smiled, her mischievous nature escaping momentarily. "One might think that you're warming up to the 'pre-war relic' _after_ all."

The corner of his mouth twitched for a moment, then quickly resumed its usual sternness.

"I'll have to watch out for that," he drawled. "Dismissed, Knight."

She nodded and headed towards the entrance, when his voice halted her once more.

"Taylor-"

When she turned to look at him he paused, then saluted. "...Keep up the good work, soldier."

She smiled again as she returned the gesture. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

"I swear man, you have a bottomless stomach," Brooks mused with a raised eyebrow to Womack, who was finishing his second bowl of noodles at their table in the dining area.

"What can I say - I'm a growing boy," Womack quipped, then suddenly did a double-take behind Brooks' shoulder.

"Oh-hohoho, there she iiiis!" he exclaimed in a sing-song tone as he stood and pushed his chair back.

Brooks turned and grinned when he saw Nora coming up the metal hallway towards them.

She blushed a little at Womack's outburst, which had caused the other soldiers and scribes in the area to turn her way curiously. She rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.

This didn't deter Womack, however - who rushed up to her and twirled her around in excitement despite her yelp of surprise.

"Hey, go easy pal - she just got _outta_ the infirmary!" Brooks reminded him with a smirk as he approached them.

The other Brotherhood members snickered and shook their heads as they went back to whatever they were doing or discussing before the interruption.

Nora couldn't help a soft laugh at Womack's enthusiasm, despite still feeling a bit embarrassed at his dramatics.

"Well _someone's_ happy to see me," she wisecracked.

"Yeah, thrilled - let's see it!" he spat out, and it took her a few moments to realize what he was talking about.

"What... _now_?" she asked incredulously. "... _Here?_ "

"Oh, no one's looking..." Womack waved a hand indifferently, and Brooks shook his head.

"And Grace thought _I_ was bad..." he muttered to himself.

Nora narrowed her eyes, not sure if she felt amused or annoyed. "Womack... I am not gonna just pull up my shirt in the middle of the Prydwen, in the dining area where people are _eating_ , just to show off my 'battle scar'. That's ridiculous."

"Come ooon..." Womack whined, bouncing in place a little as he protested. His eyes suddenly lit up. "I'll show you _my_ scar, if it helps!"

Brooks' eyes widened and he shook his head furiously at Nora. "Noooooo... do _NOT_ agree to that," he warned. "Trust me... you _don't_ wanna see it. You don't even wanna know _where_ it is." He turned towards Womack and narrowed his eyes.

"Do you remember what happened the _last_ time you tried to show someone that?" he hissed.

Womack's face fell again. "Oh yeah... that was a rough two weeks."

Nora snorted and shook her head. "I gotta get a new uniform from Teagan anyway. Raincheck, Womack."

"I'm gonna hold you _to_ that, Taylor!" he grinned. He watched her walk past them, then turned to Brooks, a confused look on his face.

"...What the hell's a 'raincheck'?" he asked. Brooks just shrugged.

* * *

Nora sat on the edge of her bed in the sleeping quarters and sighed. It was nighttime, and most of the Brotherhood had gone to sleep. Her new Brotherhood uniform sat folded on the bed beside her. She looked down at it and thought back to her conversation yesterday with Paladin Brandis.

 _"As much as it feels good to be part of a team, and as much as it gets the job done quicker... sometimes it only makes it that much harder if not all of you make it back."_  
 _"No matter what happens... you're always worrying about someone_ _else_ _."  
"It's one of the tougher aspects of being a soldier. No one ever said our job was easy..."_

She sighed again, feeling conflicted. She knew that people here cared about her, but... every day she wasn't working to take down the Institute was another day lost with her son. Another day that he was being raised by _them_. ...Maybe another day less that he even _cared_ about being rescued, depending on what lies the Institute had probably filled his head with. She had already lost around _10 years_ with Shaun, or so it seemed - how much longer was she going to 'sit around and do nothing'? Was she doing Nate a disservice by 'being patient'? ...Was she... a bad mother? Not taking _any_ and _every_ opportunity possible to do _anything_ to get Shaun back right _now_?

She paused, then reached out to the footlocker at the end of her bed and opened the lid slowly. Her eyes swept over the blue vault suit staring back at her. She felt a small pang in her chest, as if she had somehow let Nate down. She looked from the vault suit to the Brotherhood uniform, and back again... back and forth, back and forth a few times. She closed her eyes and frowned sadly.

"I... _will_ find him," she whispered to the darkness. "I _haven't_ forgotten... I _swear_ it."

* * *

As quietly as she could, she climbed down the ladder from the Prydwen's main deck and stealthily headed towards the command deck door to the outside. She'd definitely lost some weight since last wearing her vault suit, but was glad that at least it still fit well.

Obviously power armor wasn't an option for her right now - both hers and Danse's were still at the Glowing Sea. She didn't feel right stealing someone _else's_ suit, and she wouldn't have time to get to her extra _extra_ suit all the way in Sanctuary before someone would realize she was missing. She had to settle for her standard Brotherhood armor, which luckily someone had returned to her bed (probably one of the other men after her rescue).

She opened the door leading outside, and her heart sunk when she saw that it had started to rain since she'd arrived back on the Prydwen. Not a radstorm, luckily, but still...

 _' _Urgh... well_ _that'll_ _make Courser-hunting fun,'__ she thought. It didn't matter - Shaun still needed her to succeed, but obviously dry weather would have been much more preferable.

As she watched the rain fall from the doorway for a minute or two, her common sense began to kick in.

 _'I was just wondering...'_ the 'lawyer voice' in her head drawled, _'...what exactly were you planning on doing once you head out there? We're still at least a hundred feet up in the air. Were you just going to jump down? ...You moron...'_

She sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid. She'd been so distracted thinking about Shaun and the Courser, she hadn't stopped to consider what she was going to do once she'd gotten _this_ far.

"...Now what?" she softly contemplated out loud.

"I was kinda wondering the same thing myself," came a wry voice behind her.

She gasped and whirled around in surprise, only to see Brooks standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. She placed a hand over her heart and took a deep breath.

"Brooks... geez, you almost gave me a heart attack."

He took a few steps closer to her, arms still crossed. "...What are you doing, Nora?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

She hesitated for a couple seconds. "...I couldn't sleep," she finally responded. "Decided to walk around for a bit."

"Really." He raised an eyebrow slowly as his eyes skimmed downwards at her. "...In your _vault suit_. And your armor. Outside. In the rain."

Her eyes closed in defeat as she sighed heavily. She heard Brooks sigh as well and opened her eyes. He'd stepped a little closer to her, his face more sympathetic as he gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"...Is this about your son?" he asked softly. She averted his gaze and didn't respond.

"Nora..." he pursed his lips for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully. "You _just_ got out of the infirmary. You almost _died_. Ignoring _that_ fact for a minute, do you really think going _alone_ is going to help you? Whatever it is you have to do, it's probably going to be a hundred times harder if you try to do it by _yourself_. You _know_ how dangerous the Commonwealth is... better soldiers than you - no offense - have _died_ out there, and that's when they went on missions with a _team_ , a squad of people well-trained to look out for one another."

She shook her head. "You don't understand Brooks..."

He frowned and shook his head back. "No, I don't think _you_ understand." He looked away from her with a conflicted expression, then turned his head back to her.

"Look... I _can't_ pretend to understand how it must feel to not only have a kid out there, but also know that he's in the hands of the _Institute_. I can't imagine the pain that must cause you... what kind of pain or mental torture you've _already_ been through. But Nora-" he sighed heavily and placed a hand under her chin, gently forcing her to meet his eyes.

"-people here care about you. A _lot_. I _know_ you know that. What did you think was going to happen when they all realized you were gone? Did you not think they'd be upset? That they wouldn't go looking for you? Or... what might have happened if someone went looking for you, and then _they_ got hurt?"

She frowned and avoided his gaze again. She'd been so upset in her _own_ thoughts, she hadn't really considered that. She felt like a selfish jerk for not even _thinking_ about it before. She hated to admit it, but she knew he was right. Unfortunately, he wasn't done yet.

"Nora... you didn't see Danse while you were unconscious. One of the _first_ things he did _right_ after opening his eyes was ask about _you_. And then after that, as soon as he was up and out of bed, he _still_ wouldn't leave your side - not until Elder Maxson got there for a visit. Even Elder Maxson-" he paused, remembering the vertibird ride back to the Prydwen.

"Nora... you should have seen the look on his face after we found you in the Glowing Sea, when he was finally able to take his helmet off. I've _never_ seen him look like that before - almost like he'd been stabbed in the chest by one of his own men. He didn't let go of you _once_ the entire ride back. He looked like he didn't even want to let go of you to let the other Scribes back at the _airport_ take care of you. ...How do you think _he_ would have felt if you left after everything that happened recently, and then something _else_ happened to you?"

She stared at him in shock. She hadn't known that about Arthur. The image of him staring down at her radiation-poisoned, bleeding body in anguish and worry made her chest ache. She exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I... wasn't thinking clearly."

He stepped back a bit and nodded. "I don't blame you," he told her gently. "I just... don't want to see you get hurt, either. You may have family out there... but you have family _here_ , too. Don't shut us out, let us help you. Trust me... we _all_ want to see those Institute bastards get what's coming to them."

She took a deep breath, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "...Thanks Matt," she said softly.

Brooks chuckled a little as he hugged her back. "Hey... _I_ didn't want to have to answer to Maxson when he discovered you were gone. I _just_ got off of Sam's latrine duty - I certainly didn't want _more._ Maxson looked like he wanted to _kill_ me for walking in the room when I did yesterday."

Nora laughed softly and blushed at the memory as she pulled away from him.

He pulled back to look at her face and ' _hmm_ 'ed with a grin when he saw her expression.

"...Oh shut up," she murmured as she playfully smacked his arm, feeling herself growing flustered.

He laughed, then tilted his head back towards the ladder to the Main Deck.

"C'mon... let's get you back before someone sees you in 'patrol mode'."

* * *

Brooks walked with her all the way back to the sleeping quarters. Nora partially suspected that he just wanted to make sure that she _stayed_ there this time.

She opened her footlocker and removed her armor piece-by-piece with a sigh, until she was just in her vault suit again. She turned towards Brooks and raised her eyebrows.

" _Better?_ " she asked dryly.

"You tell _me_ ," he replied warily.

She smiled a little and held up her hands. "I'm not going anywhere... I promise," she said to him.

"...I'm glad to hear that, _Knight_ ," an irate baritone voice rumbled.

Nora froze at the sound as Brooks visibly stiffened. His gaze immediately focused over her shoulder, his eyes widening.

She didn't want to turn around - knowing that she'd probably _hate_ whatever expression the Paladin was shooting her - but she also knew that he'd keep standing there until she did. She took a deep breath and turned slowly - then felt like her heart and stomach _both_ suddenly took a flying leap off the side of the Prydwen.

Not _only_ was Danse standing behind her in his uniform with his arms crossed over his chest, looking madder than she'd _ever_ seen him... but standing behind _him_ was Arthur in the same position - with a fuming look on his face that made her feel like she'd just been stabbed.

...She would have taken an angry Danse over an angry Arthur _any_ day.

She swallowed hard as Arthur's eyes narrowed even further at her.

"My. Quarters. _Now_." he growled menacingly. He turned on his heel and stalked forward. Danse shot her one last searing look before he turned and followed suit.

She turned to look back at Brooks one last time, who she noticed had paled a little bit.

He gritted his teeth and mouthed _'good luck'_ to her.

She winced and nodded, then turned back and reluctantly followed behind Danse and Arthur like a dog with its tail between its legs.

* * *

Nora had barely entered Arthur's room when Danse flung the door shut, only catching it at the last possible second to try and minimize the noise. He turned towards her, brown eyes searing into green.

" _What_ the _hell_ were you thinking?" he hissed at her. "Have you gone totally _insane_ , Taylor?! Forget about _how_ you thought you were even going to get _off_ of the Prydwen - what the hell did you think you were going to do once you _got_ to the CIT ruins?"

He paced furiously for a moment, then turned to her again.

"You heard Virgil - Institute Coursers are even more dangerous than _regular_ synths. They're specially _designed_ to hunt other synths down. If you somehow got there, and even managed to _find_ one on your own, it could have _killed_ you in an _instant_. You _very_ nearly died in the Glowing Sea as it is, and you _just_ got out of the infirmary. After _everything_ Elder Maxson _and_ the other soldiers risked to get us _both_ out of there, _this_ is how you thank them? Do you have a death wish or something, soldier?!"

Nora bit her bottom lip, trying to will herself not to get upset. She stole a glance at Arthur out of the corner of her eye. He had his back turned away from her and was leaning against the wall with one arm, the other behind his back. She looked back at Danse and cleared her throat quietly, feeling like it was suddenly closing up on her.

"Danse... I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I really, _really_ am. I know it was stupid, and I'm _not_ excusing myself, but I wasn't thinking clearly."

"You're damn _right_ it was stupid," he chided. "If Knight Brooks hadn't convinced you to return, who knows how far you might have gotten? Or what could have happened?"

She took a deep breath and steeled herself, trying to prevent Danse from steamrolling her further.

"I was about to do that _myself_ anyway," she shot back. "Maybe Brooks talked some sense into me, made me see things that I personally hadn't thought of - but I'm not a complete _moron_ , either. I only got so far before I realized I wasn't going to get any further. And you _know_ -"

She suddenly pointed a finger in his face in a spontaneous flash of bravery (or foolishness... she wasn't sure which), which caused Danse's eyebrows to shoot upwards.

"-I _did_ manage to survive the wasteland _completely_ on my own before I ever met _either_ of you. I _was_ the 'inexperienced wastelander'-" (she quoted the air as she said this) "-who helped Recon Squad Gladius stop a bunch of feral ghouls from killing its last 3 members - one of which was injured and unable to battle. Not to mention the woman who assisted a lone Paladin at ArcJet systems - in _only_ my vault-suit and leather armor, mind you - to recover some valuable tech that allowed you to finally call the Prydwen to the Commonwealth in the _first_ place - despite the building being _overrun_ with Institute synths, which I'd never even _seen_ before that time."

She stopped to take a quick breath as Danse stared at her - temporarily speechless - then she continued.

"I've never asked for _any_ kind of compensation in return - other than maybe some ammo - and I don't need it _now_... but _please_ stop talking about me as if I'm some frail, helpless damsel that wouldn't last _five seconds_ on my own! _Don't_ sell me short like that. Not you, of _all_ people, Danse."

Danse sputtered incoherently for a few moments, clearly taken by surprise by the conversation's turn of direction. If it were a different situation, it might have even made Nora laugh to see him in such a state. She took another deep breath to calm herself down, then gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Danse... I _know_ you care about me. It means a lot to me. And I know that's why you're being so hard on me now. So in a weird way... thank you. Just... _please_ try to cut me some slack. I know what I almost did - well, frankly - _sucked_. And I apologize for it. But like I said before - Brooks stopped me, and even if _he_ hadn't, I _was_ just about to give up and go back to my bed anyway. ...I won't do it again. You have my word on that. I know I have _multiple_ people here that care about me. ...I won't forget that anymore."

He just stood there, thrown for a loop and at a loss for words. After a few seconds, he sighed wearily and rubbed his forehead.

"...Nora..." he said, sounding tired and forgetting about propriety at that moment. A low, strained-sounding voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Danse... may I speak with Knight Taylor alone, please?"

Danse and Nora both whipped their heads around to Arthur, who hadn't moved from his earlier position and had remained silent up until now. They looked back at each other for a second or two.

Danse made a face at her, as if to say, _'...Don't think this conversation is over, Nora.'_

She nodded slightly and sighed as he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

The silence between Arthur and Nora that followed was almost agonizing. She stared at his back for a few seconds, then slowly walked over towards him. After another long pause, she took a deep breath. Clearly, _she_ was going to have to be the one to get this conversation going.

"...Please say something..." she pleaded softly. "...I don't want you to be mad at me."

"... _Mad?_ " he murmured. "I'm not 'mad', Nora..."

He finally, slowly turned his face towards her, and she almost wished he hadn't - the fierce look he was now giving her felt painful. When he spoke, his voice was low and almost menacing.

"...I'm _furious_."

He stepped back from the wall he'd been leaning against and took a step towards her. She instinctively took a step backwards. She knew Arthur would never hurt her (was about... 98% sure), but his presence right now was certainly intimidating her.

"I can't... _believe_ you would do something like that," he continued meticulously, as if choosing every single one of his words with extreme care. "I don't _care_ if Knight Brooks stopped you. I don't _care_ if you wouldn't have been able to leave the Prydwen _anyway_. I don't even care that you might have stopped _yourself_."

He took another slow step towards her, which made her retreat one step backwards again. If Arthur was noticing this, he certainly wasn't showing it.

"I care that after _everything_ that was done to try and save both you _and_ Danse, you were about to put yourself in danger again _immediately_. Not even a _little_ danger, maybe - real, _true_ danger. And not because the situation called for it either, not out of necessity... but because _you_ were impatient, because _you_ thought you knew better. We know next to _nothing_ about the Institute. Everything we're doing that involves them, every related mission - we're flying _blind_. We can _not_ afford to be impetuous. We can _not_ afford mistakes. And you - you just didn't _care!_ "

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, then ran a fist through his hair, trying to make himself stay calm (as much as he could).

"Nora-" he took another deep breath. "...I understand that you have a personal grudge against the Institute. I _know_ what's at stake for you. I'm trying to do everything I can to help you get your son back as soon as possible." He opened his eyes again and stared at her. "But..." He tried to steel himself, knowing that what he was about to say next would be like taking his chances poking at a stingwing's nest.

"...I don't know if you taking these Institute missions is what's _best_ for you anymore."

Nora's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She felt like someone just dumped gallons of ice water on her all at once.

"W-wh-what?" she stammered, her face aghast. "You... you can't _do_ that!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, his 'stubborn Elder side' taking hold of him before he could control it.

"Actually, I _can_ do that, _Knight_ -" the term used and tone of voice made her flinch slightly, and he hated himself a little for it, "-and you _know_ that I'll do whatever is necessary and in the best interest of the _Brotherhood_. I already told you before that I can't act on the will of one soldier _alone_... I can't allow anything that might compromise the safety of my soldiers."

"I'm not asking you to compromise _anything!_ " she spat out. "I just ask that you don't punish me for something that I didn't even _do!_ " She felt her chest clenching and despite trying not to panic, she knew she was starting to sound desperate. "Arthur - the only thing that has _continuously_ kept me going in this godforsaken hellhole I found myself in was the drive to reclaim my _son!_ " She narrowed her eyes as she fought to keep her breathing steady. "...You take that away from me, you might as well shoot me in the face _right now!_ "

Arthur was at a loss for a moment, her words bothering him. "Nora-"

" _NO!_ " The exclamation came out more distressed than she intended, and she cursed herself as she felt tears threatening to prick her eyes. Unfortunately, her mouth ran away from her as a result.

"Look, you haven't had family - _real_ family - around you for a very long time. You _don't_ _understand!_ "

She saw the hurt appear on Arthur's face when she said that and absolutely _hated_ herself for it, but forced herself to plow forward full-steam regardless.

"Shaun is _ALL_ I have left! I can't just sit on my hands and do _nothing_ while a bunch of evil fucking strangers - the same that _murdered_ my husband in cold blood - raise _my_ son, and teach him God-knows-what! I've already missed at least the _first_ ten years of his life! I don't want to miss out on the _rest_ of it!"

She couldn't stay there any more... just _couldn't_. If she stayed even _one_ minute longer, her body threatened to turn into a quivering, bawling puddle on the floor. She couldn't let Arthur see her that way - not after she'd given Danse a whole speech about treating her as some weak damsel-in-distress.

She turned on her heel before she lost her nerve and bolted from the room as fast as she could without actually running, not looking back once.

* * *

She wasn't even sure where she was headed (especially knowing that she had no way _off_ of the Prydwen)... just that she had to get _away_. As far away as she could get.

Without even realizing it, she blasted through the front door of the Prydwen leading to the outside deck. Paying no attention to the rain, she raced down the metal steps in front of her and power-walked past the vertibird docks, past the storage area to the railing at the end of the deck - not caring about how wet she was now getting.

She leaned her arms on the railing and laid her head against them, _finally_ allowing herself to break down and release the pain she felt inside of her in unsteady sobs.

Her heart sank even _more_ when she heard the door to the outside bang open a few minutes later, and heavy bootsteps proceeding down the walkway towards her. She didn't raise her head when she heard the steps finally come to a stop beside her.

"...Please," she pleaded desperately, "... _please_ just leave me alone, Arthur."

A strong hand grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, and she reluctantly lifted her head to face him. His eyes penetrated into hers, and she saw the mix of pain and frustration on his face.

"...I know you said what you did because you were hurting, and _upset_ ," he said - the rain beginning to beat against him as well, but he was ignoring it as she had.

"-But don't you dare believe for _one_ _minute_ that your son is _all_ you have left." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. She stared at him, suddenly feeling light-headed and mesmerized. "You have _everyone_ in the Brotherhood. You have Brandis, you have Danse... hell, you even have Brooks, even if I _did_ almost kill him for interrupting us the other day."

She let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob and looked downwards, but Arthur put a hand under her chin and forced her gaze up to _his_ again.

"...And you have _ME_ , Nora. ...You _absolutely_ have _me_." His heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't care any more - seeing Nora break down made something feel broken inside of _him_ , and he couldn't stand it. "I know we're not your 'real' family," he said softly, "...but we will _always_ be here for you. Always fight for you." He paused and sighed heavily. "I will _always_ have to be the Elder of the Brotherhood. I can't change that... can't change who I am or what I need to do... but however I can - _I_ will never stop fighting for you."

They stared at each other for a few long moments, before Arthur blinked and looked up, as if noticing how soaked they were getting for the first time. He reluctantly ( _very_ reluctantly) unwrapped his arms from her waist, and gestured behind him with his head.

"Come on," he said softly, and led her to the nearby area underneath the storage bay at the back of the Prydwen for some temporary shelter. Once there, he shook some of the water off of his coat and looked over at Nora.

She closed her eyes and shivered a bit. Her vault suit might provide a little energy and radiation resistance to her, but was certainly _not_ waterproof.

Her eyes shot open again when she felt something warm and heavy settle around her shoulders, and saw that Arthur had shrugged off his battle coat and was wrapping it around her. She blushed at the old-fashioned gesture and smiled bashfully, then frowned as she realized how she must look to him right now - eyes red from crying, hair matted against her scalp from the rain...

She looked away from him in embarrassment. Arthur sensed her discomfort and frowned.

"...What's wrong?" he asked her.

She cleared her throat nervously. "I'm sorry, I must... look like a drowned rat or something right now."

He stared at her in disbelief. Even with all her injuries when he'd brought her back from the Glowing Sea, she'd still been the woman who had bewildered him from the very moment he first saw her. He shook his head and spoke without even thinking.

"I've never seen you look more beautiful," he murmured. He blinked when he realized he'd said that out loud and closed his eyes as he grunted quietly, his face flushing at his confession.

She stared at him in astonishment, not quite sure how to respond.

 _'He... thinks I'm beautiful?'_

If her face wasn't that red before, it was certainly getting there now. Her pulse raced faster as he opened his eyes again and gazed at her. He raised a hand and pushed away some stray locks that had fallen in her face, then slowly traced his fingertips over her cheek.

She swallowed hard as her eyes trailed downwards, realizing she'd never seen Arthur with his coat off before. Obviously she'd seen the black uniform he clearly wore underneath, she just... never got a good look at it before. Her face grew hot as she stared at his muscles, more visible now that they weren't covered over by leather. The Brotherhood uniforms never really left too much to the imagination, but Arthur... well... he was even a little more muscular than _Danse_ was, which was a bit of a feat.

Her eyes slowly traveled back up to his, and she wanted to melt even more when she saw how intensely he was staring at her.

Both of them swallowed hard this time as Nora backed up slowly, Arthur matching her step for step, until her back touched the metal wall behind her. He paused for a moment when he realized she had nowhere else to go, but then slowly started moving towards her again.

Her heart felt like it might burst out of her chest as she realized there would be no interruptions this time, no one to stop them or get in their way.

He slowly moved his face down to hers, his eyes never tearing away from hers, until he paused about an inch away from her face. His eyes flickered down to her lips, which parted with a quiet sigh when she grasped just how badly she wanted this, how long she had craved it.

After one last agonizing instant he finally closed the gap between them, their eyes sliding closed as he gently pressed his lips against hers.

She felt like the wind got knocked out of her at all the sensations she suddenly felt all at the same time. His lips felt so soft against hers, and she had to stop herself from whimpering as she felt him slowly pull away from her again. When she opened her eyes again, Arthur was staring at her in what seemed like wide-eyed awe.

"...I-I'm sorry," he stammered, his voice low and husky. "I... I shouldn't have-"

He didn't get much more out, because Nora unconsciously clutched her fingers into the front of his flight suit and gently pulled him towards her again, pressing her lips against his once more.

He froze for a moment - not expecting that kind of a reaction from her - but quickly surrendered to his feelings as his arms wrapped around her waist and he pushed himself against her. He kissed her again, deeper this time, and couldn't hold back a soft moan when she opened her mouth up and slid her tongue against his.

They broke away from each other reluctantly after a couple minutes, resting their foreheads against each other as they both fought to catch their breath.

Nora looked up at him, her pupils dilating a little. Some of his hair had fallen down from its brushed-back position due to the rain, and a few strands were falling into his face. She gently pushed them back and slid her palm along the side of his face tenderly.

"Arthur..." she whispered, her voice full of emotion.

Her heart clenched at the dark expression that suddenly crossed his features, and she let out a little gasp of surprise as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and crushed his mouth against hers once more.

Her gasp turned into a quiet mewl as her arms slid around his shoulders and cupped the back of his head, sliding her fingers through his hair and stroking his scalp. He raised a hand to tangle his fingers in her own drenched locks, reveling in every feeling being this close to her was granting him.

They both moaned against each other's mouths, all the built-up tension and feelings they'd tried to curb suddenly spilling over. Neither one wanted this feeling to ever end, wishing they could just stay here like this as the rest of the world faded away... no Institute, no Brotherhood, no Elder, no Knight... just... Arthur and Nora.

Eventually their lips broke away from each other again, panting and leaning against each other in a lack of oxygen. It felt like a long time before either of them caught their breath enough to speak, but Arthur finally took a deep breath and pulled back a bit to look into Nora's eyes.

"...Only _you_ ," he rasped slowly, "...could make me want to both throttle you and kiss all the air out of you in a span of about five minutes."

Nora giggled breathlessly and kissed him again chastely, her lungs not quite back to normal yet.

He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "...You know you're still not _completely_ off the hook, right?"

She nodded slightly. "...I know... but it sure is an interesting way to settle an argument."

It was Arthur's turn to laugh softly, and he placed one last kiss against her lips before he straightened up.

"Come on," he said softly. "I think it's time we finally get out of the rain. We can figure everything else out tomorrow."

* * *

END NOTE:  
\- Fun Fact: In FO3, there's actually a terminal entry in Vault 87 (FEV/super mutant vault) that lists vault-dwellers that have died 'mysteriously'. One of the names is 'Margery Brooks'. This is NOT where I got Brooks' character from - in fact, I only found this out long after I had most of Brooks' backstory planned out - but I just thought it was a funny coincidence.  
\- I went with what seems to be somewhat-canon of Nora being around 234 years old (or 24, depending on your technical preference). At least... I'd heard of this a few times before & decided to just go w/ it, lol.  
\- ...I know... _so_ cliché. ...Do you guys _really_ care that much? ;-) (...And no, not time for _that_ yet.. you dirty minds.)


	21. Chapter 21 - Moving Forward, Part 1

BEGINNING NOTES:

\- To 'Hrya': Thanks for the compliment, & thanks for reading! It's a bit premature to start thinking of THAT right now, but who knows what the future will bring?

\- To 'erdervv': Thanks! There's definitely more Preston/Minutemen/BoS interaction in this chapter (hope I wrote him okay!), and I definitely plan more companion interaction in the future. I can't say that I'll use ALL the companions, but there WILL be more coming.

\- This (and the NEXT chapter as well) was totally going to be ONE big chapter... but I started getting to 15 pages on my word processor, & decided that I needed to break things up a little, lol. More to come as soon as I can!

\- Thanks once more go to 'The Last thing you Never See', who is awesome at being a second set of eyes when I need her. :-D

* * *

Nora followed Arthur along the metal walkway in the Prydwen, very grateful that no one else was around right now. She still had Arthur's leather coat around her rain-drenched shoulders and was reluctant to remove it. It had a distinctive smell - leather and power armor grease and male musk, mixed with something else she couldn't quite identify. At any rate, she definitely approved. She hated to take it off, but it wouldn't do for the Elder to be missing his trademark battlecoat, and then have it suddenly appear around her shoulders.

 _'What_ _would_ _people say?'_ her mind thought jokingly, then held back a snicker at the image of a high school football player giving up his iconic letterman's jacket to a girl.

Maybe it was just as well... it was actually pretty heavy. She was a bit amazed that he wore this all the time - but one glance at the shoulder and back muscles visible through his flight suit told her that he probably barely noticed the weight.

She blinked as she realized they had stopped in front of the door to Arthur's quarters and held back a sigh as she slid the coat from her shoulders. She held it out to him and her skin tingled a little as his strong hands brushed against hers to reclaim the item.

Arthur almost hated to take it from her... seeing it around her shoulders did something to him he couldn't quite explain. It wasn't so much as how she _looked_ in it - more like... it was something that seemed to mark her as _his_ , as if to say 'stay away soldiers, this one is _mine_ '. He faltered for a second, surprised at himself. She wasn't some mere _object_ , some prize to be won... when did he get so possessive of her? And yet - if he were being truly honest with himself - he knew it wasn't the first time he'd had protective feelings towards her.

He folded the coat over his arm and the two stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, feeling like something should be said, but neither quite sure how to proceed. Finally, Arthur cleared his throat softly.

"...I think... perhaps... it might be best if..." he paused, not sure how exactly to phrase his thoughts and not wanting to upset her or have her take things the wrong way. Luckily, she seemed to read his mind.

"...we keep things between us - _this_ -" she gestured back and forth between them, "-quiet?"

He nodded, relieved that she had finished the idea for him. "It's... not that I don't _want..._ this," he tried to explain, "or that fraternization isn't _allowed_ -"

 _'After all, we have Paladin Williams, Scribe Williams and_ _Squire_ _Williams,'_ he thought.

"-it's just..."

When he hesitated again, she completed his train of thought once more.

"...You're the Elder, and you don't want anyone thinking I'm getting some kind of special treatment, or an unfair advantage, or anything like that."

He nodded again, then looked a bit uncomfortable, trying to steel himself for what he was about to say next.

"Nora, I've never... I don't... " he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily, his face reddening a bit as he avoided her gaze. "I don't... have much experience with this sort of thing. I've been busy having duty and responsibility pushed at me constantly for as long as I can remember. I don't... really know what I'm doing. You're... you're going to have to please be patient with me." He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. "...If that's _possible_ for you," he added in a cheeky tone.

She laughed at his last-minute sass and gently took his hands in hers. She paused as a thought suddenly hit her.

"So... wait- was that... your first kiss?"

His face reddened with embarrassment, and after a moment, he nodded slightly.

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh..." she said softly.

Arthur suddenly felt like jumping off of the Prydwen.

Nora sensed his discomfort and shook her head. "No, please don't feel that way... Nate and I met when we were both sixteen, and got married at twenty-one. He's... the only other man I've ever had any kind of relationship with. So if it helps... I'm not much more experienced at this than _you_ are."

She paused, then blushed as she bit her bottom lip and smiled bashfully. "Well... I hope it was... worth the wait?"

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"It was... adequate," he said wryly.

She stared at him for a moment with raised eyebrows.

"...'Adequate'?" she repeated with mock annoyance. "...It didn't seem so 'adequate' to you when you pulled me against you with your fingers tangled in my hair!"

He couldn't help laughing softly, and soon she was laughing along with him. She shook her head and grinned, despite the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Listen to us... we sound like a couple of stupid teenagers."

He chuckled and gave her hands - still clasped in his - a gentle squeeze. "You should get some rest," he murmured. "After that we'll... just take things one day at a time."

She nodded, then after a pause leaned forward and brushed her lips tenderly against his. Even though the kiss didn't last as long as she would've liked, she tried to enjoy it for as long as she could - she had a feeling that she and Arthur weren't going to get a lot of candid moments.

He kissed her back and leaned his forehead against hers for a moment, then stepped back with a soft sigh and gestured off behind her with his head.

She reluctantly turned and headed off towards the sleeping quarters again, but not before one last peek over her shoulder at Arthur, who she smiled at when she saw that he was in his room and was shutting the door, but had taken one last look at her as well.

* * *

Danse sat at a table in the dining area the next morning, sipping his coffee as he finished his breakfast. He blinked when a coffee mug plunked down on the table in front of him and raised his eyes to see Nora (in her Brotherhood uniform once more) sit across from him.

He chuckled as he filled the mug for her and watched her take a long sip, then frowned when he remembered that he was still annoyed at her for the previous night's actions. Still, he couldn't resist waiting for her to finish so he could ask his usual "Better?", to which she smiled and replied, "Better."

He nodded and his eyes returned to his tray of breakfast food. She stared at him for a moment, then frowned.

"Oh come on... _still_?" she asked.

Danse _hmph_ 'ed and she pouted.

"I _didn't_ though, Danse," she insisted, "I just... _almost_ did." He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed.

"...You know my reasoning," she went on. "I know it was stupid, but I was coming to my senses before Brooks caught me anyway. I already said it won't happen again."

When he remained silent, she pursed her lips. "Okay... maybe a bribe will work, then." She placed something on the table between them.

Danse huffed and looked up at her. "Taylor, if you think you can just win me over with -" his eyes flitted downwards and he paused when he saw the small box of 'Fancy Lads Snack Cakes' she'd placed there.

He looked up at Nora again, who wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"...Where did you get those?" he asked her curiously. He hated that she'd caught his attention for even _one instant_ , but he hadn't seen any snack cakes around for several months now.

"Teagan," she said smugly. "He told me before that you liked them."

Danse frowned, reminding himself that 'there are no secrets in the Brotherhood', a saying that was becoming a true catchphrase here more and more often.

She fought to hold back a grin, seeing that his composure was starting to crack.

"I _swear_ -" she said slowly. "-I won't do something like that again. If I ever feel like I'm about to do something stupid, I will come find you first. I _promise_."

Danse stared at her with intensity for a few seconds, and she was about to start losing hope - when one of his hands slowly reached across the table and pulled the box closer to himself.

"...Do _NOT_ think that this is always going to get you out of any argument, Taylor," he said guardedly.

She held her hands up in front of her. "No no, of course not," she said innocently. "So... will you stop glowering at me now? Because I can't stand having you mad at me." She put on her best imitation of a sad puppy face, and he couldn't help the hint of a smirk that peeked through his frown.

 _'Damn it,'_ he thought. _'She's got a lot of charisma, I'll give her that.'_

It made it hard for him to stay even _mildly_ annoyed at her for long, and _that_ bugged him. He begrudgingly opened the box and took out a snack cake, handing it over to her.

"But... those are _yours_ ," she protested.

He shook his head. "They're no good if I can't share them with someone I care about," he replied, finally allowing a small smile to appear on his face.

She smiled back and took the cake from him. "Thanks partner," she nodded. She watched him take a cake for himself and grinned. "So... I take it you weren't totally enjoying your-" She peered down at his breakfast tray curiously. "...what... is that exactly?"

Danse shook his head. "Sometimes it's better not to ask," he muttered.

She laughed and bit into her treat. Yeah... 200+ year-old Fancy Lads definitely weren't the freshest... but there wasn't much in the way of desserts or sweets nowadays, so Nora (who definitely had a sweet tooth) would take anything she could get.

He pushed his tray aside and watched her for a few seconds.

"So..." he began. "...how were things with Maxson last night? Did he really lay into you?"

She suddenly coughed on her cake and had to take a sip of her coffee to help clear her throat. Danse raised his eyebrows and she shook her head.

"I'm fine," she rasped, "it just... went down the wrong pipe." She didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or start snickering. She ended up doing a strange mix of both, which just made her start coughing again. Her eyes started watering as she took another long sip of coffee, trying to not look as crazy as she assumed she did right now.

He just stared at her with a bewildered expression on his face, and a couple other people having their breakfast nearby slowly turned their heads at the scene she was trying (and failing) not to make.

She cleared her throat and waved a hand at him. "Seriously... I'm fine, I'm sorry," she gasped.

He stared at her for another few seconds, then went on. "...I mean... you can't really blame him, Nora... you kind of had his back against the wall-"

 _'...The other way around, actually,'_ she thought, and bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling as memories of the previous night flashed through her mind.

She made a noise that sounded like a restrained snort and Danse sat back as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Okay, what? What did I say?"

She couldn't stop a small giggle from escaping her throat and shook her head.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry," she murmured. "Ar- Maxson and I are fine, we... talked and... worked it out."

Danse was not fooled. Nora was avoiding his eyes and starting to turn red, and he had a feeling that it wasn't from almost choking on her snack cake. She appeared suspiciously pleased for someone that seemed like they were going to get given the 3rd degree last night. He raised an eyebrow again slowly.

"You w- ...what did you-"

She peeked up at him from underneath her eyelashes and after a second he quickly held up his hands again.

"You know what? ...I don't wanna know. I think I'm happier not knowing."

She cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

 _'Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject...'_

"So, uh... what are you up to today?" she asked him tentatively.

Danse - also glad for the change of subject - shrugged his shoulders. "No orders or missions at the moment," he replied.

Nora nodded, and he noticed a sudden shift in her temperament.

"...Did you... have something in mind?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and paused, not quite sure how to broach the subject. "I was thinking... if you weren't too busy, maybe... we could go to Sanctuary today?"

He stared at her cautiously for a moment. "...Are you thinking..."

She nodded as she read his mind, still avoiding his eyes. "Maybe today would be a good day to..." she cleared her throat and squirmed in her chair a little. "I mean... you don't _have_ to - if you'd rather not, it's totally fine - I could always ask Preston and see if-"

"Nora," he interrupted quietly.

She bit her bottom lip and shifted her gaze up to his. He paused for a moment before continuing.

"...I promised you, right?"

"Yeah..." she replied hesitantly. "But-"

"But _nothing_ ," he interrupted again. "It's completely acceptable. I'd be happy to accompany you there and help you do what you need to do. ...After what Nate went through, and the service he performed for our country, he deserves it. ...They _all_ do. It's the _least_ I can do for you _and_ them."

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then smiled a little as she reached across the table and gave one of his hands a gentle squeeze.

"...Thank you, Danse," she said softly after another pause. "I'm... really blessed to have you in my life."

His face pinkened a little, and he smiled back.

"...We're _both_ lucky," he added quietly, and squeezed her hand back.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, but it wasn't uncomfortable - more like the kind of relaxed silence people have when words aren't really needed. Finally, Danse took a deep breath and looked up at Nora.

"Do you... want me to ask Maxson about your clearance to leave?"

She thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. "It's all right... I should really ask him myself. But... if you want to go with me? ...At least... after we finish our snack cakes, I mean." She smiled at Danse jokingly, but he could see her stiff-looking posture. He knew her well enough to know she was putting up a tough front, but he didn't want to call attention to it.

For now, he just nodded and smiled back at her, then raised his cake to his mouth once more.

* * *

Nora knocked gently on Arthur's door, Danse standing beside her, then took a step back as she waited for an answer.

"Come," came his gruff, trademark acknowledgment from behind the door. She walked in to see him sitting at the table, a small stack of paperwork beside him as usual. When he looked up and saw her, his eyes seemed to light up - but he appeared to reign it in again when Danse came in behind her. He nodded in greeting to the two of them.

"Taylor... Danse."

She smiled slightly and cleared her throat, trying to think of how to approach the request.

"Elder Maxson," she began, feeling a bit odd at being so formal, but trying her best to be professional. "I was wondering if... I might have your permission to leave the Prydwen, sir."

He raised an eyebrow at her and slowly put down the report he was reading. "...Oh?" he asked.

She nodded and went on. "...To go to Sanctuary, sir."

He stared at her briefly, his eyes darting between her and Danse.

"And... what business are you planning _there_ , soldier?" he asked carefully. "Is this about... the Minutemen? Or... something _else_?"

She was quiet for a few seconds. "...Permission to speak freely, sir?"

His eyes darted over to Danse again. He wasn't 100% sure what Nora was planning on talking to him about, and wasn't sure if it was something he'd want Danse to hear.

...On the _other_ hand... Danse _was_ one of his most-trusted soldiers. And Arthur _knew_ he wasn't stupid. If Danse didn't suspect _anything_ going on between him and Nora by now (despite their best efforts), he was either incredibly dense or completely blind.

He begrudgingly nodded at Nora. "...Granted..." he said guardedly.

She pulled out a chair and sat across from him at the table.

"Arthur," she began, giving up on complete propriety in front of Danse (she _also_ knew Danse wasn't stupid), "it's not for the Minutemen. I'm not sneaking off anywhere, not looking for any battles, and not hunting any Coursers today, I promise."

He simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She looked down the table and took a deep breath, then looked up at him again.

"...I need to... take care of some unfinished business. ...In Vault 111."

She watched his other eyebrow raise slowly, his eyes widening a little.

"It's time... I finally laid the residents inside to rest - all 12 of them," she said softly. "They deserve better than to lay in their cryopods, frozen for all eternity, only to have people come and gawk at them - or until someone decides to do God-knows-what with them. ...Danse would like to help me, if that's acceptable," she added.

He was silent for a moment or two, then nodded. "Do you..." he stopped and cleared his throat gently. "...Is there anything else you require? _Either_ of you?" he shot a quick glance up at Danse again.

Danse started to shake his head, but a strange expression came over Nora's face, as if a thought was occurring to her.

Arthur looked back at her. "...Nora?" he asked tentatively, also foregoing propriety in front of Danse.

She opened her mouth wordlessly for a few seconds, then uttered quietly, "...I'd like _you_ to come as well."

Both Danse _and_ Arthur's eyebrows shot upwards at hearing that.

"Nora..." she heard Danse murmur behind her.

"I know it seems... odd that I'm asking," she said quickly. "And I know how _ridiculously_ busy you must be. I don't want to make things more difficult for you. But if you _could_... it's... important to me. It would mean a lot."

She paused, then shrugged her shoulders a little. "And if you need to explain yourself to anyone, you could always tell them that as the leader of the Brotherhood, you're performing a goodwill mission to the General of the Minutemen. It's not... a _far_ stretch, I suppose... at least, it's not a complete _lie_."

Danse cleared his throat. "Nora-" he said again carefully, "Are you sure that's... the best idea?"

She turned to look at him and nodded. "...You've already seen them, Danse," she reminded him quietly. "I need _Arthur_ to see now - to understand - before we do what we need to do."

Danse looked conflicted and Arthur sat there, feeling dumbfounded. "I..." he started quietly, then paused again for a few seconds. "I suppose... I could put these aside for a _little_ while..." He pushed the stack of papers a little further away from him with one hand. "...have Kells and the Proctors take charge of things while I'm away. It wouldn't be the first time I've left the Prydwen on 'business'."

He looked at Nora, wearing a conflicted expression that mirrored Danse's. "...Are... you sure Nora?"

She nodded. "You don't have to... 'do' anything," she said, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or obligated to anything. "I just... want you to see all of it for yourself."

Arthur paused, then nodded back.

"...Very well. Is there anything else?" he inquired.

She started to shake her head, then paused. "Would it... be all right if I asked another soldier along?" she asked timidly. "It's... a lot of work to do - and though we have Preston at Sanctuary, he's not quite as... 'built' as Danse is."

Danse flushed a tiny bit, and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.

Arthur paused for a moment, then nodded again. "I believe that would be acceptable."

She nodded and stood up. "We'll meet you outside by the vertibirds when you're ready."

* * *

Danse walked beside Nora down the metal hallway.

"...You're sure about all this?" he asked her gently.

She nodded back. "I'm not going to lie - it's probably not going to be easy for me. But it needs to be done."

He was quiet for a moment. "And... Maxson?"

"It's... a little strange, I know," she said softly. "But like I said earlier - you saw Kellogg's point of view at the Memory Den. You saw the vault and the cryopods themselves. You understand why I almost left the Prydwen, whether you agreed with it or not. I need Arthur to see firsthand what kind of sick cruelty the Institute is capable of. I'll probably take Preston in with us too."

She sighed and shook her head a little. "I don't know if I can ever get the two factions to truly co-exist together," she thought out loud, "but... we have a common enemy. And _both_ groups want peace in the Commonwealth. It's... a start."

After a period of silence, she turned to see him staring at her with an expression she couldn't quite identify - almost like... awe? Incredulity?

She blinked in surprise. "...What?" she asked him curiously.

He smiled at her sadly. "It's just... kind of funny how you remind me of him sometimes."

"Him who?"

"Maxson. ...Arthur. You kind of sound like him, when he was trying to unite the Brotherhood and the Outcasts all those years ago. He was a natural leader, even back then. Now I'm seeing the same in _you_."

She scoffed a little and looked away bashfully. "I'm no leader, Danse... sometimes I think the only reason why Preston made me the General of the Minutemen was because his confidence was too shaken to take the position himself."

"I don't think I believe that," he countered. "Preston saw in you what _I_ see in you - what I know _Arthur_ sees in you - compassion. Empathy. Strength. Determination. A strong sense of morals. You truly _care_ about the people of the Commonwealth... and instead of wallowing in self-pity - which under the circumstances, I'm sure no one would blame you for - you continuously work to make the Commonwealth a better place for _everyone_ , even turning your own difficult past into a push for better change in the future. ...You really are something special, Nora."

She blushed, not expecting so much praise in one sitting. "You... really think so?" she asked softly.

"I _know_ so," he replied firmly. "The Brotherhood is extremely fortunate to have you." He stopped walking and turned to her, then paused for a moment. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "... _Arthur_ is extremely fortunate to have you," he said softly, shooting her a knowing look.

Nora became misty-eyed as she stared at him for several seconds, at a loss for words. She hesitated, then leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, causing him to turn bright red.

"Words don't really seem sufficient enough, but... thank you, Danse," she said, her voice full of emotion. She slowly turned and started to continue off without him.

"...Where are you going?" he asked, trying to will his face back to its original color.

"To find Brooks," she replied. "We'll meet you by the vertibirds."

* * *

"Aww Daaad... come _ooonn_ ," moaned Jacob. He stood next to Paladin Williams, who was in the power armor bay kneeling in front of his suit, making an adjustment or two to the joints in the legs.

"Hey - if you're going to be a soldier someday, you're going to have to know this stuff, Squire," Williams lectured, trying to hide his smile. "Now _concentrate_ \- the type of armor most commonly used by the Brotherhood is?"

"A T-60 model suit," Jake replied dully. "But occasionally in the field one might find a pre-war T-45 or T-51 suit - or if one is lucky, an X-01 suit, which is very rare."

"Right," confirmed Williams. "And in order to _repair_ it, you should always have access to-"

"An ample supply of steel, aluminum, copper, and/or circuitry," his son finished for him with a sigh.

"Bingo," Williams said, twisting a screw tighter. "Insufficient supplies means you can't fix your suit, and that could mean a super mutant crushing you like a can of Cram. And the only thing more important to the suit than metal or circuitry is?"

"Plenty of fusion cores," Jake droned, sounding completely bored. "No fusion core means no power for the suit."

"Yep," Williams confirmed, as he examined a washer around one of the knee joints. "That's why it's _imperative_ for a soldier to be aware of how much power a fusion core has left in their suit. And not only that - raiders will sometimes gain access to a suit of power armor in the field. Shooting at an _enemy's_ fusion core will often cause the core to become unstable and eject, therefore leaving the power armor with no fuel. The enemy will be forced to exit the armor, and won't be able to enter unless they have another fusion core in their inventory. And unfortunately, they might try to do the same to _you_ , so constant vigilance is crucial."

Jake pouted for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up. "When do _I_ get to try wearing power armor?" he asked eagerly.

Williams chuckled and shook his head. "Not for quite a while there, Jakey."

Jake rolled his eyes at his father and Knight Brooks' favorite nickname for him as Williams pulled back from his work to glance at his son.

"Besides - you're uh... a little bit _shorter_ than the standard size power armor frame. I think it'll be a few years before you can operate one without getting trapped inside, or something like that." He grinned at Jake's scowl and stood up, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair.

"...I'll tell ya what-" he made a show of looking left and right to make sure no one else was in earshot, causing Jake to look curious and do the same. He leaned over to Jake and lowered his voice to almost a whisper.

"You do your best to learn everything you can here, perform your duties to the best of your ability, and _try_ to fit in a little more with the other Squires-" he shot Jake a pointed look, to which Jake looked sheepish, "-then as soon as you're a little _bigger_ , I'll take you out somewhere and start showing you the ropes."

Jake's eyes widened. " _Seriously?_ " he asked excitedly, even bouncing up and down on his toes a little."You mean it? You're not just saying that?"

Williams laughed and nodded. "It'll be our little secret," he promised, then held up a finger against his lips. Jake grinned and repeated the gesture. Williams grabbed a rag from the nearby workbench and wiped a spot of grease off of his hands.

He turned back towards Jake and did a double-take as he saw Nora headed their way. He nodded in greeting as Jake turned to see who his father was looking at.

"Knight Taylor-" he paused when he saw the expression on her face - one that almost seemed like distress. "Is... everything all right?"

Nora nodded a greeting down at Jake as she passed him. "Squire," she said softly.

"Ma'am," he nodded back politely.

She looked up at the Paladin. "Sir... you haven't seen Knight Brooks around, have you?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not... I believe he's running a brief sweep for feral ghouls with Womack per Captain Kells' instruction."

She looked a little dismayed to hear it and nodded down at the floor.

Williams frowned. "Is there... anything _I_ can assist you with, Taylor?"

She paused, as if thinking, then shook her head. "No, I... no sir. It was a bit of a... personal matter. Thank you, though."

Williams hesitated a moment, then looked down at Jake. "...Squire, go see if your mother needs any assistance, all right?"

Jake cast a quick glance at Nora, then nodded and hurried off.

Williams took a step closer to her, his voice lowering a little. "If you'll forgive my intrusiveness, Taylor - does this have to do with what you disclosed to Knight Brooks and my wife the other day?"

When she looked up at him in surprise, he held his hands up carefully. "I hope you won't be too upset with her that she divulged the information to me..."

Nora shook her head - and to Williams's surprise, even smiled a tiny bit.

"She's your wife, I completely understand," she said. "Besides - what's that saying I've heard a couple other soldiers saying in the halls? 'There are no secrets in the Brotherhood'?" She smiled softly. "Truth be told, I'd be a little surprised if you _hadn't_ heard about it by now."

Williams smiled sadly at her. "For... what it's worth? ...I'm _so_ sorry for what you had to go through. ...I can... understand why the Elder threatened anyone with hard labor for asking you about it."

Nora chuckled. "Thank you, sir," she said appreciatively. There was a pause, then Williams cleared his throat gently.

"So... I know we haven't known each other that long, and don't know each other that _well_ ," he began. "But... you're still my 'sister-in-steel'. If there's something that you need assistance with, and it's in my power to do so, you can consider it done."

She smiled at him gratefully, but her smile quickly faded again. "I'm not... sure if I could ask you to do something like this for me," she said. "It's... a bit of an odd request."

Williams gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Taylor... try me."

* * *

"Are you... _sure_ about this?" Nora asked the Paladin one more time as they headed outside.

Williams couldn't help a soft chuckle as he looked over at her.

"I mean," she said quickly, "...you're _sure_ that you're sure? I would understand if you changed your mind-"

"Taylor," he politely interrupted her as they made their way down the metal stairs towards the vertibird docks, "I'm positive. Not only is it a completely legitimate request under the circumstances, but probably even one that's long _overdue_. Your husband was a hero... he deserves to be laid to rest like one. And the other residents of the vault certainly didn't deserve what happened to them - they have a right to be at peace too."

She was quiet for a few seconds, then put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Paladin... thank you," she said sincerely. "It... really means _so_ much to me what both you _and_ Danse are doing for me. I know you'll have help from some of the men at Sanctuary, but... it's no small favor what you're doing today. I'll _never_ forget it."

Williams smiled kindly and nodded as they approached the vertibird, which Danse and Arthur were waiting patiently beside.

"Please - thanks are appreciated, but _not_ needed, Taylor," he replied. "If the roles were reversed, I know you would do the same for me in an instant."

She nodded and smiled back, grateful to have such people in her life.

Danse and Arthur looked up as they arrived. Danse blinked in slight surprise when he saw Paladin Williams with her, but nodded a greeting to the two of them.

"Are you... all set to go?" he asked her. She nodded back and the four of them entered the vertibird. Danse alerted the lancer to their destination, while Nora turned to Arthur.

"I'm not quite sure how long... 'all of this' will take," she told him hesitantly. "I'll try not to keep you longer than I have to, but-"

Arthur shook his head and held a hand up to stop her.

"Let's not put a timeline on it," he said gently. "We'll just... do what we can and take things as they come."

* * *

As the four of them made their way through the main gate of Sanctuary and past the turrets set up there, Nora straightened up a bit when she heard barking in the distance. She looked over at Danse, a slightly amused expression on her face.

He chuckled and shook his head. "He always seems to know," he murmured.

Sure enough, the German shepherd soon came into view, hurdling towards her. Nora couldn't help smiling as Dogmeat barked joyfully and jumped up to place his two front paws on her chest, licking her face in excitement.

"Aww... good to see you again too boy," she said as she tousled the fur on his face playfully. She heard Williams chuckle behind her.

"And who's this handsome fellow?"

"This is Dogmeat," Nora answered.

When when she saw Williams and Arthur both raise an eyebrow, she quickly added, "and before you say anything - no, I didn't pick out the name, he already had it when I met him."

This time it was Arthur's turn to chuckle softly. "So... this must be the 'hero dog' that helped assist Recon Squad Gladius at the Cambridge Police Department, am I correct?"

Danse nodded and smiled. "Took out at least two feral ghouls _completely_ on his own, if I remember correctly."

Dogmeat barked lightly at Danse.

"Three," clarified Nora with a proud smile.

The men laughed lightly as Danse gave him a gentle pat on the head. "My mistake, boy," he conceded.

Dogmeat barked again and licked Danse's hand, which made Nora snicker.

"I don't think there's any hard feelings," she joked.

She looked past Dogmeat to glance around Sanctuary, noticing even more structures since the last time she and Danse were there for a visit.

 _'Sturges,'_ she thought with a smile. _'He's really been a blessing to the Minutemen.'_

She turned back to the others and looked at Danse.

"I should find Preston, let him know we're here," she told him. "Could you possibly... lead Elder Maxson and Paladin Williams up the hill to Vault 111? We'll meet you up there as soon as possible."

He nodded and patted her shoulder. "Sure thing Knight, we'll see you up there."

She nodded at the other two men as she turned and headed further into the settlement.

* * *

She found Preston inside one of the other refurbished (relatively) homes, checking on the settlers to see if they needed anything.

"General!" he smiled when he saw her, his eyes flickering briefly to her Brotherhood uniform. "Good to see you again! To what do we owe the pleasure? Just checking in?"

"I... wish it were that simple, Preston," she said somberly.

His smile slowly faded. "Why? Is something wrong? Wait-" he nodded at the settler he'd been talking to, then gestured to one of the smaller, more private rooms in the house so they could speak a little more candidly.

They both took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked her anxiously.

She took a deep breath, then told him about the reason for her visit. By the time she was done, Preston was staring at her, a sad expression on his face.

"Oh, Nora... I'm so sorry," he murmured. "Yes, absolutely - of _course_ I'll do whatever I can. I'll see if I can get Sturges to - um... 'assist' as well," he continued, trying to choose his words carefully.

She nodded and reached across the table to give his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you Preston," she said softly. "It's really not for _me_ , so much as it is for the residents of the vault. It's... about time they were laid to rest."

"Absolutely," he replied. "After everything that happened to them..." he shook his head. "Anyway, I can get some supplies together-"

"There is... _one_ thing I'd like to ask of you, _before_ we get into all that," she interrupted gently.

"Of course, General," he replied. "Whatever you need, just name it."

* * *

"So... how are things going for the Minutemen?" Nora queried Preston as they headed up to the vault.

"Pretty well, all things considered," he replied. "Sturges has been working really hard to get things up and running, as you've probably seen. We're establishing more connections to the people of the Commonwealth all the time, and helping to defend farms and homes from raiders, mutants, ferals, and gunners. It hasn't been without its losses, but we're definitely making progress." He looked over at her. "And... the Brotherhood?"

"It's been... progressing," she said carefully. He raised an eyebrow at her tone and she sighed.

"I might have... hit a bit of a snag during Danse and my mission to the Glowing Sea," she confessed.

His other eyebrow rose. "The Glowing Sea?" he asked incredulously. "You both went _there?_ "

"It was Institute-related. We... might have been attacked by an alpha deathclaw on our way out again," she continued.

He stopped short and gaped at her.

"I might've been back to Sanctuary again a little sooner, but I was kind of... unconscious," she added sheepishly.

"...You were _what?_ " he gasped.

She bit her bottom lip. "I'm fine now - _mostly_ ," she said quickly. "But... Danse and I had a little downtime, and I figured now might be the best opportunity to... take care of some unfinished business." She gestured her head in the direction of the vault.

Preston was silent for a few moments. "General... _Nora_... I know you really want to bring the Institute to justice - but I don't want you to do so at the cost of your own _life_." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not even about the Minutemen - I care about you," he said. "You've become a good friend."

She smiled. "Thank you Preston. I care about you too. I'm glad I met you. And don't worry - Danse gave me a strict talking-to about being more careful later."

"Good," he chuckled as they continued walking. "Maybe there's hope for the Paladin after all." She laughed softly.

"So... about these other soldiers that are with you..." he continued.

"Well, there's Paladin Samuel Williams," she started. "He'll be the tall one in the black flight suit with the salt-and-pepper hair. The other is... um... Arthur Maxson."

"Arthur Maxson?" he repeated, his eyes widening a little. "...The _Elder of the Brotherhood?_ You brought _him_ here?"

"Well... I wanted him to see the vault, like you," she said. "I know the different factions have their disagreements about how the Commonwealth should be run... but we're working against a common enemy - the Institute. And neither group wants to allow super mutants, gunners, raiders, or feral ghouls to exist either. If we're all ever going to coexist, we have to start _somewhere_ , you know?"

He thought for a second. "I know you're a part of both the Minutemen _and_ the Brotherhood," he said hesitantly, "but... do you really think we could ever truly work _together_ for something? I'd _like_ to believe we're not always going to be at odds with each other, but..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to continue.

She sighed softly. "I don't know, Preston... it would be a lot of work to come to any kind of mutual agreement or alliance. But... I have hope for the future. We just have to take one day at a time, I suppose."

The two of them trudged up the remainder of the hill to Vault 111. The other three men stood near the edge of the elevator, all looking a bit anxious - including Danse, who had already been there before. Nora couldn't blame them - she knew it was a morbid task she was asking them to perform for her, but her heart swelled a little to think that they all cared about her enough to assist her with this.

She turned to look at Preston and gestured to him. "Colonel Preston Garvey of the Commonwealth Minutemen," she introduced, then gestured to each Brotherhood soldier in turn. "Paladin Samuel Williams, Elder Arthur Maxson, and obviously you've already met Paladin Danse."

Preston nodded and took turns shaking hands with each man, including Danse. "Good to see you again Paladin," he added to Danse.

"Likewise, Garvey," Danse replied back politely.

Nora nodded at him as she passed the others, who all turned to watch her curiously as she headed for the small trailer by the side of the vault entrance.

Danse cleared his throat to get their attention as he gestured with his head, and led the others to the middle of the metal circle with a faded 'Vault 111' painted around the middle.

She hit the small button for the elevator inside the trailer, then came back out and joined them.

There was silence for a moment, then a loud metal grinding sound as the platform they were all standing on started sinking into the ground.

Nora took a deep breath, trying not to think of her first journey down here on that fateful day so long ago when she and Nate had stood with Shaun and their cowering, terrified neighbors - waiting to find out if they would be disintegrated by the oncoming fallout from the recent explosion.

She closed her eyes, trying to will the images out of her mind, then opened them again when she felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. She looked over to see Danse beside her, a concerned look on his face. She placed her hand over his and nodded slightly, letting him know that she was okay (...for now). He nodded back and slowly removed his hand, but the sentiment between them was clear:

 _'I'm here if you need me.'_

 _' _...I know. Thank you.'__

When the elevator finally reached the bottom of the shaft and the elevator door slid upwards, she took another deep breath before she stepped out to lead the other men forward. The only sound heard was their bootsteps as she lead them down the twisting corridors of the vault, passing the occasional skeleton of a vault staff member or scientist on the floor.

It wasn't long before she reached it - the entrance to 'Cryoroom A'.

She paused and felt herself stiffen, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides. When she sensed someone come stand directly next to her, she didn't have to move her head to know that it was Danse. She saw him lean towards her out of the corner of her eye, and when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"...You don't have to do this, if you don't want to. I could... continue on for you if you'd like?"

She slowly turned her head towards him, and in any other situation she might have smiled - this man who put up such a tough front, but was so willing to protect her at a moment's notice from any harm or pain. She would have given him another kiss on the cheek in gratitude if it weren't for the present company.

Instead she shook her head slightly, but gave his arm a gentle squeeze in appreciation.

"It's all right," she whispered back. "Like it or not... this is something that I have to do. He would want me to... I owe him that much."

Danse paused, then nodded and took a small step back.

She inhaled deeply, then descended the small steps to where the eight pods were lined up, four on either side of the corridor. Her eyes shifted from side to side to glance in the pod windows as she slowly passed them. An empty pod (perhaps a resident of Sanctuary Hills that hadn't made it to the vault in time)... Mr. & Mrs. Callahan... Mr. & Mrs. Able... all neighbors she and Nate hadn't known very well, but still didn't deserve what had happened to them any more than she, Nate, and Shaun did. Neither did the residents that were in 'Cryoroom B' - the Whitfields, the Cofrans, or Mr. DiPietro.

She finally came to a stop as she neared the end of the row. Mr. Russell was in the last pod (pod C8). The ones before that one... she slowly turned to look at pod C7, the only pod with the door wide open - _her_ pod.

She stared at it silently for a minute while the other men slowly approached from a distance. This... this was where her journey had all started. Where she had banged on the window helplessly from the inside as she watched Nate get shot by Kellogg and her baby stolen from his dead arms. Where she had been refrozen with tears on her face. Where the door had opened some time later after some sort of a malfunction, and she crawled out on all fours as her body slowly readjusted to moving again.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again as she turned to look at the pod opposite it, pod C6. ...Nate's pod.

She exhaled slowly, remembering her words to him the last time she'd come here with Danse.

 _'I'll find Shaun... no matter what it takes. I swear it to you.'_

She took another deep breath, then finally turned to the other men in the room - who had been standing there patiently, letting her have whatever moment she needed. They all stared at her with sympathy, and it made her want to squirm where she stood.

"I... I can imagine you all must be... uncomfortable being here, to say the _least_ ," she said. "I don't blame you one bit - you can probably imagine how _I_ must feel being here again. But it was important - for _all_ of us." She held her arms behind her back and looked downwards for a moment, gathering her thoughts. When she looked up again, she took turns looking each man directly in the eye, wanting to make sure her words came across effectively.

"I can't blame the Institute for what _Vault-Tec_ did. It wasn't the Institute that brought all these people here. It wasn't the Institute that lied to them all, told them they'd be safe and that these pods were only for 'decontamination and depressurization before heading further into the vault'. These people - myself included - were just guinea pigs to Vault-Tec. I saw the details on the Overseer's terminal before I left the vault for the first time. Vault 111 was designed to test the 'long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, human subjects'. Their plan was to freeze us all - for God knows how long - and see how our bodies reacted to it."

"One of the worst parts was, the unfrozen staff of Vault 111 wasn't even supposed to intervene if something were to happen to one of us - they were told that 'life-saving intervention was only permitted if greater than 80% of the population had perished while in cryogenic suspension'. If one of us were to, say, have a heart attack or stroke while being frozen, they most likely would have let us die." She scoffed bitterly and looked downwards.

"...All in the name of science, right?" she murmured softly.

Arthur felt his hands clench into fists. All of this... simply monstrous. Almost unthinkable. He was grateful that Nora hadn't died when the bombs had hit over 200 years ago, of _course_ \- but at _such_ a cost... and for _what_? Just 'to see what would happen'? Taking innocent people's lives and playing God... it sickened him. He almost couldn't decide who was worse - Vault-Tec or the Institute. _Both_ parties had taken science to absolutely vulgar levels, and _so_ many people had suffered as a result. This was exactly the sort of thing that the Brotherhood was fighting against now.

Nora took another deep breath, looked back up at everyone, and continued.

" _However_ \- for everything that Vault-Tec did that was wrong, the fact still remains that if it weren't for the _Institute_... most - if not _all_ \- of these people would probably still be alive today. They - like me - would've been horrified to see the aftermath of the bombs... but at least _alive_. Maybe they would've even still been frozen, because I don't know how long Vault-Tec had these pods programmed for - but _alive_. ...However, the Institute saw to that."

She turned her head and gestured to Nate in his pod.

"...You all know what happened to my husband, Nate," she said somberly. "...And my son, Shaun. Kellogg did what he did on _the Institute's_ orders. And on _their_ orders - which I found out later - he was directed not to reactivate the life support for the other residents, and not to release them. Their official cause of death was 'asphyxiation due to life support failure'... but it was because of Kellogg. Because of the Institute. It was straight-up murder."

She paused for a moment, then looked back at the men again, who all wore stone-faced expressions.

"...I know these people - and myself - aren't the _only_ ones the Institute have hurt. They're not the only ones whose lives have been cut short and ruined. And the worst part is - they won't be the last."

She took a couple steps towards the others, her voice firmer now as she felt more resolve and urgency in her words.

"I know we come from different factions - both the Brotherhood, _and_ the Minutemen," she said. "I know we all come from diverse backgrounds, and I know that we all have different ways of getting things done. But this-" she gestured behind her, "-is something that I think we can all agree on, that we all have in common. We _all_ want to see the Institute stopped and shut down as soon as possible. This is what we're _all_ fighting for, in the end: a peaceful Commonwealth - where people can put their heads on their pillows at night, and not have to worry about their loved ones being stolen away or murdered right in front of their eyes."

"Yes, it's a very dangerous world out there now... but it doesn't _have_ to be. Someone once said: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' It would be a _lot_ of work, I know... but I really think that if we work side by side, find a way to settle our differences and come _together_ \- there's no telling _what_ we can accomplish for the Commonwealth. Imagine the things we could do... if only we would just _try_."

She took a deep breath, having spent all of her 'wisdom' at the moment and suddenly feeling emotionally wiped out. The other men were silent for a few seconds, looking somewhat awed by her speech.

After what felt like a long pause, Paladin Williams finally cleared his throat quietly.

"Well... damn, Taylor," he murmured. "I didn't know you had it in you."

She blushed and couldn't help the self-conscious laugh that spilled out of her. Danse and Preston chuckled softly as well. Arthur just stood there, a mix of emotions on his face. She bit her bottom lip, hoping that she hadn't crossed a line or said something that bothered him.

Preston paused for a moment, then stepped towards her.

"You saved us in Concord. There wasn't anything in it for you. You had your _own_ problems to deal with, but you did it _anyway_. That kind of selflessness has been in mighty short supply around here for quite a while. ...We need someone who can bring the whole Commonwealth together in a common cause. And I think you've got it in you to _be_ that someone. I'll be right beside you all the way, General - in any way that I can."

She smiled and gave his shoulder a small squeeze. "Thank you, Preston - that means a whole lot to me."

Williams blinked and raised an eyebrow at her. "...'General'?" he asked wryly.

She smiled and shook her head. "Long story... I'll explain later, I promise," she chuckled. He smiled back at her, an amused look on his face.

Arthur - having remained silent this whole time - gingerly cleared his throat as well, feeling obligated to say... _something_.

"Well... you've certainly given me something to think about as well, Knight," he said softly. "I might not know what the future holds for the Commonwealth, but... you can bet I'll do what I can to bring peace to it as quickly as possible. And absolutely - the Institute _will_ pay for its crimes against humanity, one way or the other."

She nodded at him. "Thank you Elder," she murmured.

Arthur had to stop himself from frowning at the sound of it. Propriety be damned - she was the _one_ person he was starting to hate hearing that title from.

Williams seemed to remember where they all were and cleared his throat again. "Well," he said, sounding serious once more, "I... suppose we should... get started with what we came here for."

Nora nodded and started forward. "You're right," she agreed. "There's a lot of work ahead of us-"

"Taylor," Danse interrupted, holding a hand up to stop her. "We-" he gestured between himself, Williams, and Arthur, "- were talking before you and Preston arrived at the top of the hill. You've... been through enough here. We don't feel like you should have to do this."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Wh-what?" she asked in surprise. She looked over at Williams and Arthur, who both nodded. Her jaw fell open slightly. "But... I-I couldn't have you all-"

"Sorry Taylor, you're overruled," Williams said with a hint of humor to his voice. "I'm sure Mr. Garvey wouldn't mind-" he shot a quick glance to Preston, who quickly nodded in agreement, "yes- giving us a hand while you take care of other business."

She was dumbfounded. "But... you..."

Danse stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders, then gently lead her back towards the main hallway of the vault.

"Nora," he countered quietly. "We'll be fine here. Garvey will also recruit Sturges for assistance. We are most certainly _not_ allowing you to dig your own husband's grave, let alone one for any of the _other_ vault residents. You did well here today. You brought us together, and made some very valid points - ones that I know we'll _all_ think about. You did your duty admirably, soldier - you should feel proud."

Nora paused, looked back at the other three men, then turned to Danse again.

"Danse... are you... sure? I mean-"

"100% positive," he replied. "Go... go for a walk, talk to the other residents of Sanctuary, whatever you would like to do. We'll come find you before we're finished, I promise. Oh, and... one last thing..."

He hesitated and looked a little uncomfortable for a moment.

"Have you... given any thought to where..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to finish his question.

Luckily, she understood. "I'm... not sure about the other residents," she murmured, "but... if at all possible, I'd like to... have Nate buried in our backyard. He should at least be put to rest at his home."

Danse squeezed her shoulder gently, then stepped back. "Consider it done," he confirmed with a nod.

Nora stared at him for few seconds, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"I can't... even _begin_ to thank you for all this," she mumbled softly. "You're absolutely the best, Danse."

Danse's face, of course, took on his trademark redness at her affection. He gave her a quick hug back, then glanced over out of the corner of his eye to see the other men smiling slightly at him. He cleared his throat and gently pushed her back.

"All right, that's enough of _that_ now, soldier," he said in his best _'no seriously, I'm not embarrassed'_ voice. "We have some work to do, and I'm sure there's places you'd rather be." He gestured in the direction of the elevator at the entrance with his head. "Off with you, now."

She smiled gratefully and nodded, then headed for the elevator.

Danse watched her go for a moment, then turned and headed back towards the other men.

"We can get started here, and then I can head up and have Sturges join us," Preston offered.

The soldiers nodded, then Danse turned to Arthur.

"...You should go with her," he told him.

Arthur blinked and did a double-take at the Paladin. "Wh-what?" he stammered, not sure he'd heard him correctly.

"Nora," Danse prodded gently. "Go with her. Keep her company."

Arthur glanced at Williams, who looked like he was fighting to keep a straight face, then back at Danse. "But-"

"We'll be fine here," Danse insisted. "She shouldn't be alone right now. Do us a favor _sir_ ," (though Arthur could hear the clear ' _Arthur_ ' in Danse's tone) "and look out for her. Have her... show you around Sanctuary, perhaps."

Arthur's jaw dropped for a few seconds, and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable - a look Danse was not used to seeing from the Elder.

"What if... I don't..." he cleared his throat nervously. He was trying his best to look calm and in control, and failing - and he knew it. He eyes bore holes into Danse, a slightly panicked look on his face. "I don't even know what to say to her in this type of situation," he muttered quietly.

Preston's eyebrows rose a little. "With all due respect, Elder - I'm sure you deal with death in the Brotherhood all the time. Just tell her what you would tell _any_ of your other soldiers."

 _'These are_ _not_ _the same circumstances,'_ Arthur wanted to grumble, but knew that Garvey didn't have quite the perspective that Danse did.

Danse patted a hand on Arthur's back. "Just... be there for her, sir," he responded in a supportive tone. "Everything else will just... fall into place."

Arthur sighed heavily, then nodded and wandered out of the room to catch up with Nora.

Williams watched him go, then turned to Danse with a slight smirk. "So..." he trailed off, letting the thought hang in the air.

Danse shrugged and tried to force the corner of his mouth to stay down. "So," he simply repeated.

Preston raised his eyebrows again. "So... am I crazy, or did I miss something?"

* * *

END NOTES:

\- ...Out of curiosity, I looked up the modern-day military's (general) stance on fraternization. From what I read, they _do_ tend to frown on it. They need to make sure that it doesn't 'have an adverse effect on the unit/chain of command', or 'any actual or perceived favoritism may corrode unit morale.'  
Basically, the worry in Arthur & Nora's case, for example, could be Arthur using his power/title to force Nora to do things against her will, or Arthur giving Nora unfair/special treatment b/c of their feelings.

...In a nutshell, my headcanon: Fraternization in BoS is not _prohibited_ , but measures must be taken to make sure the chain of command is not also abused. I picture Arthur as not only overly-responsible, but also in completely unfamiliar territory w/ any kind of personal relationship, so... he doesn't completely know what to do right now, lol. Hence, 'taking it slow' (...'ish', lol).

\- ...Yes, I used a 'Spiderman' quote. I DID try to see if that quote came from anywhere _else_ (in *those* exact words), but no luck. So laugh if you will - but still, it IS a great (and relevant) quote.

\- I hate politics. Seriously. Hope I didn't get too 'preachy' there, LOL.


	22. Chapter 22 - Moving Forward, Part 2

BEGINNING NOTE:  
\- As the fic proceeds further on, I just wanted to put a thought out there: in no way is it my intention to ever copy another author/fic's idea/story/etc. There's stuff that I had planned for this fic LONG before I even started writing it. I just wanted to make that clear. Sometimes I get a story idea, but then I see another fic that either _also_ did that idea, or something similar. I don't want to seem like I'm copying that person - but I also don't always want to change an idea that I was already in the process of developing. I will try to put my own fresh spin on things as much as I can, but there's many similar themes in FO4 fics (pain, loss, betrayal, survivor's guilt, PTSD, self-doubt, etc). ...End rant, lol.

\- Btw: New record for longest chapter, lol!

\- Thanks again go to 'The Last thing you Never See' - I might have a stroke from stress if it weren't for her assistance sometimes. :-D

Thank you guys so much for reading thus far - you've all been totally awesome, and I totally love reading all the comments you guys leave me. Hope you all continue to enjoy the ride!

* * *

Nora was about to enter Vault 111's elevator when she heard bootsteps behind her. She turned and raised her eyebrows when she saw Arthur approaching.

"I... Danse thought... maybe I should go with you," he muttered awkwardly.

She didn't say anything for a couple seconds, and Arthur worried that Danse had made a mistake. He quickly held up his hands in surrender.

"If you'd rather be alone right now, it's all right... I completely understand-"

"No no, that's all right Arthur," she said softly. "I'm... glad for the company."

She stepped into the elevator and gestured beside her.

Arthur paused for a second, then headed in as well.

As the elevator began to climb back up the shaft, she cast a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. His posture seemed stiff, and he looked fairly uncomfortable. She couldn't help it as the corners of her mouth threatened to twitch upwards a little. She was beginning to think that Arthur was just as socially awkward as Danse sometimes. It was... almost charming.

She slowly reached out, took his hand in hers, and gave it a small squeeze.

Arthur looked over at her, his face reddening a little. After a second or two, his hand slowly closed around hers and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

She finally allowed herself a little smile when she saw his shoulders relax a bit.

"...By the way..." he said quietly, "I was... impressed with what you said back there."

She turned her head to look at him again. "...You were?"

He nodded as the elevator reached the top of the shaft, and it took them both a couple seconds for their eyes to adjust to the sunlight again.

"I'll be honest with you..." he said, turning towards her. "I'm sure you're aware that the Minutemen don't have quite the... experience and knowledge of battle and weaponry that the Brotherhood do. They're... not quite as prepared for war like the Brotherhood are."

Nora nodded as he went on.

"However... what they lack in firepower, they have in trust with the people of the Commonwealth. Whereas the Brotherhood - as I'm sure you're also aware - is not always well-received or well-liked. As you said, it wouldn't be easy - but perhaps... somehow... we could reach an agreement of _some_ kind."

"I think that would be beneficial to _both_ factions," she said, as she stepped off of the platform and started heading down the hill back to Sanctuary, Arthur following at her side. "I know that the Brotherhood needs food to keep the troops going, and many of the Minutemen or settlers associated with them have farms of their own. Granted - the farms don't always provide an _overabundance_ of food, but... as you said, perhaps we could work something out - _amicably_. It... would be better than Teagan's 'intimidation tactics'."

She frowned, never having liked the indirect suggestion he'd given her regarding the extra work if she was ever interested.

Arthur's brow furrowed, and he stared at her curiously. "...'Intimidation tactics'? What do you mean?"

She released his hand and waved her own hand in the air flippantly. "Oh, you know... secure the crops 'by any means necessary'... better to 'donate' to the Brotherhood in order to 'keep them friendly'... Teagan even told me once that if I'm met with any opposition, to take the crops by _force_."

She pursed her lips and sighed.

"Look - I know we need food, Arthur, but so do _they_. Some of these people barely have _anything_. And I have to tell you, whether we're ridding the Commonwealth of filth like super mutants or _not_ : bullying poor settlers into giving us some of their crops - especially when some families barely have enough for _themselves_ \- is _not_ the way to win their favor. To be honest... if I was just a settler, I probably wouldn't like us either. I'd think we were barely better than the raiders attacking the farms."

Arthur stopped short, and at first Nora thought that she'd struck a nerve and would have to do some 'damage control' - but blinked when she saw the tight expression on his face as he looked away from her. It took her a moment to realize what he was thinking.

"You... didn't know this was going on... did you?" she asked.

He was motionless for a couple seconds, then shook his head. He looked back at her, his trademark scowl starting to creep into his features.

"...I had no idea. I'm sorry. And you're right - even if we do need food, I'm _certainly_ not about to rip it out of the hands of a hungry family just to get it." His jaw clenched. "I'll take care of this when we get back to the Prydwen," he promised.

Nora bit her lip, suddenly feeling like she'd opened a floodgate.

"I don't want to get Proctor Teagan into trouble," she insisted, "but-"

Arthur shook his head. "I won't do anything rash, and I won't mention your name," he told her. "But I won't let this continue, either. You have my word on that."

She let out a breath of relief and nodded also as she continued walking. "Good. Thank you." She looked at him with a wry smile on her face. "Well... that's _one_ problem solved. Only 9,999 more to go."

Arthur's scowl broke, and he chuckled softly.

 _'Thaaat's better,'_ she thought warmly. _'I like smiling Arthur_ _much_ _more than angry or troubled Arthur.'_

"Unfortunately, that's one of the many 'perks' of _being_ a leader," he quipped. "Everyone always needs something, and rarely is anyone satisfied. As you said earlier: 'With great power comes great responsibility'." He sighed, suddenly looking a little bit weary.

"I wouldn't have wished it on you myself," he confessed, "but..." He stopped walking again, causing her to stop and turn towards him. He was looking down at the ground, as if temporarily lost in thought.

Nora narrowed her eyes questioningly and took a couple steps towards him. He slowly raised his head and met his eyes with hers.

The pair stared silently at each other for a few moments, and Nora felt her face grow a little warmer. She felt like he was looking at her like he did when they first met - as if he were scrutinizing her, trying to figure her out.

"...Arthur?" she prodded gently.

He took a deep breath, then slowly reached out and took her hands in his.

"But..." he continued, his expression softening at her, "...I probably couldn't have picked a better leader for the Minutemen myself."

She blushed at the compliment as he went on.

"You truly care about the people of the Commonwealth. You've put other people's needs ahead of your own on several different occasions. And even if you stand nothing to gain, you still do everything you can to try to help others. It's... more than I've seen other Brotherhood soldiers do."

A sad smile slowly crossed his face. "You remind me... of one of the Brotherhood's previous Elders - Owyn Lyons. ...And of his daughter, Sarah - the Elder after him."

Nora's eyes lit up a little at the name. "Elder Lyons... he and Sarah raised you at the Citadel, right?"

Arthur nodded. "They cared a great deal for the people of the Capital Wasteland. They worked to collect and preserve technology, like the Western Brotherhood did - but also tried to help out the people when they could."

She frowned a little, suddenly remembering an early conversation with Danse when they'd first boarded the Prydwen. "Danse told me a little about him, I think... the Western Brotherhood _used_ to favor him, but then stopped supporting him _because_ he cared 'too much' for the people."

Arthur nodded somberly. "They felt he strayed too much from the Brotherhood's original goal," he explained. "By the time there was a split in the Brotherhood chapters, it was too dangerous for me to go back out west to my parents - so it was determined that I would stay at the Citadel for my safety."

"...For your _survival_ ," she corrected in a bitter tone. "Was the Brotherhood actually worried about _you_ , or your _name?_ About _Arthur_ , or just _'the last Maxson'_?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows, taken aback for a moment.

She closed her eyes as her brain caught up to her, and sighed as she ran a hand over her hair.

"...I'm sorry... that was rude," she murmured. "It's just... casting out Elder Lyons simply because he actually cared about 'outsiders' just seems... very wrong. Collecting and preserving technology is all well and good, and I _do_ understand the Brotherhood trying to prevent a repeat of mankind's mistakes in the past... but to turn your back on people in need because of that - it doesn't seem right. And to send _you_ away from everything you've ever known to be raised by a bunch of strangers, kind or not - _alone_ \- seems wrong too."

She took a deep breath and avoided his eyes. "I'm sorry... it's not my business, I know... it's just how I feel."

She bit her lip and waited for some kind of rebuke from him. Instead, she heard a pause, then a soft chuckle. She looked up at him, and was surprised to find a look on his face between slight amusement and awe.

"...You're... not mad at me?" she asked cautiously.

He shook his head. "No one's... ever really defended me like that before," he said quietly. "I mean... sure - there's those damn cults out west that pop up every so often, and the Brotherhood here would almost automatically protect their Elder - but only out of obligation for their superior. No one else has ever... spoken out for _me_ before. Not 'the Elder'... just _Arthur_. I'm... not really used to hearing it."

He frowned and looked downward in thought again. "As you said earlier... I wonder..." he murmured, almost as if to himself. "...Would anyone else have cared as much if I'd been born _anyone_ else? ...If I had performed the same deeds, lived the same life - but hadn't been born a _'Maxson'?_ "

She felt her her chest clench at his downcast tone of voice and felt a flood of sympathy for the man standing in front of her, still holding her hands in his. She released one of his hands and stepped forward to gently cup his cheek, causing him to look up at her again.

"Your name does _not_ define you," she said tenderly. "It will always be a part of you, but it doesn't _define_ you. Your words and actions define you - what kind of a person you are. What kind of things you stand for, care for, fight for, and defend. _You_ decide who you are - no one else can do that for you. They may try - but in the end, _yours_ is the only opinion that matters."

Arthur stared at her for a few seconds.

" _My_ opinion of myself isn't the _only_ one that matters to me," he said softly.

He reached his free hand up to cup her own cheek, and she blushed as his eyes burned into hers. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, hold her tightly against him, kiss her and never let go. He forced himself not to act though, not wanting to seem... inappropriate, given their current circumstances.

Luckily... Nora made the decision for him. She gazed at him longingly for a moment, then stepped forward. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she gently pressed her lips against his.

Arthur didn't move for a second, then slid one arm around her waist, the other around her back as he returned her kiss. He allowed himself to enjoy the feel of her in his arms, her lips pressed against his for a minute, then slowly and gently pushed her back, despite his body yelling at him in protest.

"Nora..." he murmured, his voice thick and heavy. "...are you... sure about this? I mean... under the circumstances..."

It took her a couple seconds to catch Arthur's meaning.

"You mean... because of Nate?" she asked softly. He nodded at her.

"I don't... want you to feel like you have to do anything you don't _want_ to, or that you're not ready for," he explained gently.

It touched her, made her feel warm all over that he was even remotely concerned about something like that.

Well... if she was going to have _anything_ resembling a relationship with him, she knew that she was going to have to address this sooner or later. She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"I'm not going to lie to you..." she began. "...There's a small part of me that will _always_ love him. He was my husband... I once thought we would _always_ be together. But... life apparently had other plans in mind. There's nothing I can do about Nate - he's gone and isn't coming back. I've... had quite a bit of time to think things over, and have come to accept it. I said my goodbyes the last time I was here with Danse."

She looked downward. "All I can do now is move forward... Nate would want me to. I need to make sure the Institute pays for what they did to him, and get Shaun back. My place is with the Brotherhood now."

She slowly looked back up at Arthur again.

"My place is... here." She took a deep breath and took his hands in hers again.

"...With you."

Her heart hammered in her chest as she gazed at him shyly.

"If... if you'll _have_ me, that is."

Arthur stared at her incredulously, his own pulse suddenly racing.

"...If I'll _have_ you?" he asked in utter disbelief.

He immediately pulled her tightly against him and covered her mouth with his. She wrapped her arms around him again and kissed him back hungrily. They both shivered as their lips parted and his tongue met hers. His strong arms wound their way around her even tighter, tracing lines up and down her back. She moaned softly and wove her fingers over and through his hair - from the longer hair on top of his head, to the soft, sheared hair on the sides and back, to the short, trimmed hair of his beard.

She was grateful Arthur was holding her so securely, because their interaction was definitely making her knees buckle. She didn't think it would do if she melted into a puddle on the ground right then and there.

They broke apart after a minute or two, red-faced and breathless, still clutching each other tightly as they rested their foreheads against each other.

"So..." Nora panted after a moment, "...that's a 'maybe'?"

Arthur let out a small, winded laugh and shook his head a little.

"As I told you before, Nora," he murmured as he raised a hand and stroked her smooth cheek, "you _absolutely_ have me. I sure as hell want _you_."

Their faces both flushed even more at the unintentional implication of his words, but neither seemed to care at that moment. He sighed heavily and shook his head again.

"...You're going to be absolutely _terrible_ for my productivity, I just know it."

She giggled and reluctantly ( _very_ reluctantly) released him as she stepped back.

"...Come on," she said softly. "...I'll show you around Sanctuary."

* * *

There really wasn't much to see in Sanctuary - partly because things were still being built, and partly because poor Sturges was constantly switching between rebuilding the settlement, and trying to build defenses for it. He had help from the other settlers where they could, sure - but the few of them could only work so fast. It was part of the reason why recruitment for the Minutemen was so important.

Nora explained as much to Arthur as they walked around. He nodded as she talked, surveying the surroundings and taking everything in.

Every so often she would stop to greet a settler, asking how they were and if they needed anything. They all seemed to look up to her to some degree, he noticed, even some of the more churlish settlers that weren't too talkative.

They continued walking, and as his eyes swept around him again he did a double-take behind him. He faced forward once more, and she saw a slight smirk on his face.

"...What is it?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow up in curiosity.

"I believe we're being followed," he murmured, amusement in his voice.

She glanced behind her to see Dogmeat a ways back, trailing behind them slowly. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and he seemed to be watching them carefully. His tail was held loose and horizontal, and his ears - which were standing straight up - twitched every so often.

"I think... I'm being scrutinized by your 'bodyguard'," Arthur quipped.

Nora giggled behind one of her hands. "He... probably doesn't know what to make of you," she grinned.

"You know, I get that from dogs a lot," he bantered.

She laughed and shook her head as she stopped walking and turned around.

" _What?_ " she asked the canine in a wry voice. "Can we help you with something?"

Dogmeat froze mid-step, his eyes widening a little as he realized he'd been caught. He didn't move for a few seconds, then slowly sat his hindquarters down on the pavement and gave a loud, noncommittal-sounding huff.

She snorted and shook her head again. "...Come on, pup," she called. "I'll make us some lunch."

His ears twitched at the mention of food and he immediately stood up again. He raced forward with a happy-sounding bark, then stood on his hind legs when he reached her.

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "You gotta be nice to _this_ guy, though."

She gestured her head over to Arthur, who'd been watching Dogmeat in amusement.

Dogmeat sat back down and gave her a loud sniff.

" _Dogmeat_..." she drawled.

He turned to look at Arthur, then looked back at Nora and tilted his head with a whine. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him for a few seconds, until the dog finally caved and made a noise that sounded like a surrendering grumble.

"...I think that's the best you're getting, for now," she told Arthur apologetically.

He chuckled and smiled at her. "As long as I'm not getting the 'feral ghoul' treatment, I suppose I can't complain," he replied.

She giggled and started up the street again, dog and Elder in tow.

* * *

"Codsworth? You here?" Nora called out as she and Arthur stepped inside the house.

"...Mum? Is that you?" she heard from the other room. Before she could reply, Codsworth came floating down the corridor, his 'eyes' swiveling around to Nora when he spotted her.

"Ah, miss Nora! Welcome back! Is Paladin Danse traveling with you today, perchance?"

"He's... taking care of something for me up at the Vault, actually," Nora said hesitantly. She gestured over to Arthur. "This is... Elder Maxson, _also_ from the Brotherhood."

She looked over at him to see him regarding Codsworth with raised eyebrows. It took him a moment to realize he was being stared at and cleared his throat.

"Oh! Er- nice... to meet you..." he glanced at Nora out of the corner of his eye, who mouthed ' _Codsworth_ ' to him, "-Codsworth."

"A pleasure, sir!" the robot greeted cheerily. "Any friend of Mum's is a friend of mine."

Nora smiled softly at the robot. "Codsworth - since Danse and a few other men are really doing me a big favor, I figured it would be nice if I at least cooked them some lunch. Do you think you could give me a bit of a hand?"

"Absolutely, ma'am!" he replied. "Whatever you need, I am at your service. It's simply wonderful to feel needed again after over 200 years!"

She patted his metal casing gently and chuckled. "That's the spirit, buddy. If you could go to the storeroom, I think we have some radstag meat there. Could you bring it back for me?"

"Of course, Mum. I'll be back before you've even had time to miss me!" He floated past the two of them and out the front door.

Dogmeat, meanwhile, had decided to wait for his lunch patiently by lying down next to the couch, but was still keeping a cautious eye on Nora and Arthur just in case.

She smiled and shook her head, then turned to Arthur. He was looking at her with mild amusement.

"What?" she shrugged with a grin.

"...You have a 'Mister Handy' robot?" he inquired, then immediately shook his head. "What am I saying - you're friends with the ghoul mayor of a disreputable town and a synth detective, you killed an alpha deathclaw with almost your bare hands, you saved three well-trained soldiers from ferals, and you're technically over 200 years old. Of course you also have a robot butler."

She laughed. "Well sure... when you say it like _that_ , it sounds weird."

Arthur chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "...What else am I going to learn about you?" he asked her.

She smiled at him, then gestured over to her couch. "Well... what do you want to _know?_ " she asked as she walked over and took a seat, Arthur sitting down next to her.

He paused for a moment. "...Everything," he replied with a soft smile.

She took a deep breath. "Very well... it was a cold morning in January when William Taylor leered across the room at his wife Kathleen with a glint in his eye-"

"All right, all right, maybe not _everything_ -" Arthur interrupted quickly, holding his hands up with a roll of his eyes.

She laughed and he shook his head at her sense of humor, trying not to smile himself.

"Moving on - did I hear your robot mention that it's _also_ over 200 years old?"

" _He_ is, yes," she replied, and the stress on the first word wasn't lost on Arthur. "Nate bought him before Shaun was born to help us out a little, and to keep me company while he was away. I... wasn't too social back then," she admitted sheepishly.

"You?" Arthur scoffed, raising his eyebrows again. "I find that difficult to believe."

"It's true," she replied. "I was busy a lot with the law firm I had recently started working for, and Nate was away in the army - coming home for short periods of time here and there - and then... I got pregnant with Shaun." She shrugged, and her eyes got a far-away look as she reminisced.

"Codsworth was a big help around the house, and when I missed Nate and needed someone to talk to... he was there. After a while I had to stop working, then Shaun was born - luckily Nate was home at that time to see it, later he got honorably discharged... and, well... you know the rest from there. But Codsworth... well..." she paused for a moment.

"...I know it may seem silly to you, Arthur... you probably see Codsworth as little more than a _toaster_ -" (Arthur fidgeted a little uncomfortably at that) "-but... Codsworth is almost like family to me. And obviously I don't have too much of _that_ left."

Arthur held back a sigh. Under normal circumstances he'd argue the validity of the robot's sentience - but he knew it would do no good in this case, and didn't want to sour the mood. He supposed they would have to 'agree to disagree' for now. He blinked as a thought hit him late.

"Wait - earlier you said... despite the 'unwarranted information' about your parents-" (she smirked at that) "-you mentioned January - so... your birthday is around now?"

Nora smiled softly. "About a month before... you, know... the bombs hit. I was born a little prematurely. ...You?"

"May," he replied. "I suppose it would have been Spring in your time."

She nodded. There was a slight lull in the conversation, and Arthur took the opportunity to look around the house they were in for the first time. It seemed like any of the other houses in Sanctuary - in disrepair from the fallout, but not without its remaining furniture and miscellaneous bric-a-brac. His eyes fell on the mantelpiece and paused when he saw a couple framed photographs sitting there.

"Arthur?" he heard Nora ask. "...What is it?"

He turned to look back at her, his mouth opening in surprise. "Is... that-"

He looked back at the mantelpiece again, then stood up and slowly walked over to it. After a moment, she appeared beside him. She frowned sadly at the photos - her holding Shaun, with Nate holding her in one, the other her wedding photo. There was a long period of silence, then Arthur turned to her - a dark expression on his face.

"...This is... _your_ house? From... before the war?"

She nodded solemnly. He sighed as he turned back towards the photos and was quiet for several more seconds.

"You... look beautiful," he said softly.

"Thank you," she replied. "Those were... good times. ...Mostly," she added carefully.

He turned back to her, looking a little confused. "...'Mostly'?" he repeated.

She nodded again. "Nate... wasn't the same after he came home from Anchorage, and even _more_ so after returning from Mariposa. PTSD - 'post-traumatic stress disorder'. Very common for members of the military. Probably for the Brotherhood as well," she added, to which Arthur nodded. "Considering what _happened_ in Mariposa, let _alone_ Anchorage, I might have been more concerned if he hadn't been affected by it at _all_. We worked through it, those last few months we had together, but..." she sighed and shook her head, her eyes closing at the thought of it all.

Arthur instinctively slid an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head against him.

"...And we _still_ haven't learned anything," she muttered bitterly. "Mankind, I mean. Even after _everything_ that's happened. Sometimes... I don't think we ever _will_. Just look at the Institute. Destroying innocent people's lives, and for _what?_ " Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists as she let out a frustrated sigh. "What's... what's the _point_ of trying to control what people do to _any_ degree, if they're just going to find new and more despicable ways to destroy each other?"

"Don't say that," Arthur said firmly. He dropped his arm from her shoulders and turned her gently to face him.

"Don't ever, _ever_ give up hope," he told her, before his voice grew softer. "...Not _you_." He gently took her face in his hands. "Remember what you told us only a little while ago? About a Commonwealth in which people can sleep at night, and not have to worry about their loved ones being kidnapped or harmed in front of their eyes? _That's_ what the Brotherhood is fighting for. That's what your _Minutemen_ are fighting for. They need you to be strong for them. ... _I_ need you to be strong... for _me_. Because you give _me_ hope, Nora."

Her eyes began tearing up a little as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly, his soft beard brushing against her skin.

"I know it's not always easy," he murmured. "There's days in which _I_ feel frustrated and ready to give up. But those are the times in which you need to charge forward more than ever. So many terrible things have happened... to you, to the Commonwealth... to _everyone_. As awful as all those things were, though - if things hadn't happened that way, you wouldn't be standing here right now, with _me_. And I can't speak for you, but... I wouldn't change that for anything in the entire world."

She stared at him in awe for a few seconds, then buried her face again his muscled chest and hugged him tightly.

Arthur wrapped his arms around her in return.

"...I'm sorry..." she said quietly.

"Don't be," he said, shaking his head. "You're only human. It's natural to get frustrated sometimes. But don't let your despair control you - use it to make you stronger, to propel you forward."

She pulled back a bit to look into his eyes, a sad expression on her face. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

His mouth formed a tight line. "...Perhaps so. But I don't feel so alone in my problems... not any more."

She blushed a little and kissed his cheek tenderly. "If I have things _my_ way, you'll never have to be alone ever again," she murmured softly.

It was Arthur's turn to blush as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Mum, I've brought back what you requested - oh!"

Arthur and Nora both jumped as Codsworth floated back into the house carrying a package with his arms, and turned towards them.

Their arms dropped from around each other, both feeling a little embarrassed about being seen in any kind of affectionate circumstance (even if - in Arthur's case - it _was_ by just a robot).

Nora cleared her throat, her face reddening. "Thank you Codsworth. Can you bring it to the cooking station out back for me?"

"Certainly, Miss Nora!" he replied cheerfully, then floated past them.

* * *

A little while later, Nora had the meat nearly grilled up and had even prepared some corn and carrots while Arthur and Codsworth kept her company. Even Dogmeat had joined her out back behind the house, the smell of grilled radstag too much for him to resist. He was laying down near Nora as she and Arthur sat by the cooking station.

She cut off a tiny piece and handed it to Arthur, then darted her eyes to Dogmeat with a suggestive smile.

Dogmeat looked over at Arthur and tilted his head, as if he were weighing his options in his mind, before he finally trotted over to him and pawed his leg with a whine.

Arthur chuckled and held out the meat, which Dogmeat took from him with a grateful bark.

Nora smiled and stood up. "I'm just going to get some dishes out for when the guys come back, I'll be right back."

Arthur nodded, and she looked over at the Mister Handy. "Codsworth, would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Absolutely not, Mum!" he replied, and hovered after her into the house.

Arthur watched her go for a second or two, then looked back at Dogmeat, who was still staring at him curiously. After a second, he whined and pawed Arthur's leg again.

"Sorry boy, that's all I had," Arthur shrugged.

Dogmeat sniffed, looked over at the cooking station, then back at Arthur.

"...I can't - it's not mine to give," protested the Elder.

Dogmeat whined and pawed his leg again, his tail thumping against the ground. Arthur paused, then sighed as his eyes shot up to the back of the house cautiously.

He leaned forward and pried a tiny strip off from the meat, then held it forward.

"...This is _it_ , though," he warned.

Dogmeat took it eagerly and gave a small _woof_ of appreciation.

* * *

Nora went to her kitchen cabinets and took a few plates out, then handed them to Codsworth.

"...Codsworth..." she began slowly.

"...Mum?" he questioned back, setting the plates on the kitchen table.

She took a deep breath as she went to a drawer to pull some silverware out.

"...I haven't... been completely upfront with you about our visit to Sanctuary today." She placed the silverware on the counter and turned towards him.

"Paladin Danse, Preston, Paladin Williams - another Brotherhood soldier - and Sturges... they're all here today with Elder Maxson and myself because... they're helping me with the remaining people frozen in Vault 111. I felt it was wrong to just leave them there, so I asked them to... help me remove them from the vault and bury them in Sanctuary. ...Nate included."

Codsworth seemed to sag a little at hearing that. "Oh... Sir..." he said, his voice sounding melancholy. He was quiet for a moment. "...It's a very fine thing they do, then, helping them all to rest in peace. Are _you_ all right, Mum?"

Nora nodded. "I've thought about it a lot while I was away. You know how much I loved Nate, Codsworth, but..." she trailed off, not completely sure how to continue.

"...I _know_ you did, Mum," Codsworth reassured her gently. "Of that, I have positively _no_ doubt. Master Nate... he would want you to move forward, to try and carry on without him. The happiness of yourself and young Shaun was _always_ his first priority. And... if I may be so impertinent, perhaps - it seems... you've already _begun_ to find your happiness again."

She blushed and looked down towards the floor. "Codsworth..." she said softly.

Codsworth hovered a little closer to her.

"Mum..." he said softly, and gently laid an arm (luckily, the one _not_ ending in a saw or flamethrower) on her shoulder. "...Does he make you happy?"

Nora stared at him for a moment, then finally nodded. "He... makes me _very_ happy, Codsworth."

The robot 'blinked' and bobbed in place once, almost as if nodding himself. "Then that's all I could ever ask for you, Miss Nora."

She smiled softly, leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on his metal casing.

"...Thank you, Codsworth. That really does mean a lot to me to hear."

"I just want you to know how much I consider you family," he replied. "I may be a mere robot to some, but... I do hope you've come to see me as more."

Nora shook her head. "You're not 'just a robot' to me, Codsworth. You never will be. You're just as much my family as Shaun is. I know I can't always take you with me when I travel, but it doesn't mean I care any less for you."

The Mister Handy made a sound like a heavy sigh. "It warms my nuclear core to hear you say that, Mum. Please know that I will always be here for you, whenever you may need me."

They were interrupted by a gentle knock on the front door, and they both turned to see Preston poking his head in cautiously.

"Ahh, Mister Garvey!" Codsworth exclaimed. "Do come in! Miss Nora had told me about your... generous assistance with Sir, and the other unfortunate souls of Vault 111. I must express my sincerest gratitude - not just for Master Nate, but for _all_ of them. The Minutemen are lucky to have a man of valor such as _you_ , sir."

Preston blinked and looked taken aback at the praise as he entered the house. "Thank you, Codsworth, but it's really not much... just what any good citizen should do."

"It's something to _me_ ," Nora told him, frowning a little when she saw him looking somewhat weary. "You guys are... _amazing_ for doing this for me. I'll never forget it."

She stepped forward and gave Preston a chaste kiss on the cheek, causing his face to redden a little.

"How... are things going?" she asked him cautiously. "Do you need any help yet?"

"No no, you're still not going to do any of that," he insisted. "But we _are_ almost... 'finished', so to speak. We... decided it might be best if we bury the others near the entrance to Sanctuary, to the right as you cross the bridge into the settlement. We have plenty of space there, and - God forbid, if the worst should happen to anyone _else_ in the future, there would be room to add more if needed. And of course, we can also... bury Nate where you requested as well. I hope that's... all right with you?" he asked carefully.

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "That sounds ideal," she agreed. "Thank you _so_ much, Preston."

"As I said, thanks aren't needed," he replied with a caring smile. "After everything you've done for us, it's the _least_ we can do for you. I think the others are just coming along now-" he turned to look at the door behind him and nodded when he saw Sturges and the two Paladins approaching the door.

Nora stepped forward when they entered. "Sturges," she said as she approached the burly mechanic. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you so much for your help. I'm... sorry I didn't come greet you sooner." She heard a soft chuckle as he hugged her back.

"Well... hell, Nora," he said in his trademark southern twang, "...under the circumstances, I think I can let it go this _once_." He winked at her and she smiled gratefully.

She suddenly remembered the other two behind the house.

"Do you guys want to... take a break for a little bit?" she asked them all. "I wanted to do _something_ to show my appreciation, so I cooked us all some lunch."

Preston's eyes lit up a little. "That's mighty kind of you, General - _Nora_ ," he quickly added when she shot him a look jokingly. "A little break might do us some good, recharge us for a bit."

The other men nodded, and Williams looked around a bit.

"Is Elder Maxson still with you?" he asked.

Nora nodded and gestured behind her with her head. "He's out back with Dogmeat."

Williams glanced out the back window and made a face like he was trying not to laugh. "I... think he made a new friend," he said wryly.

She turned to look and couldn't help the snort that instantly came out of her.

Arthur was still sitting in the back by the cooking station, all right - with Dogmeat laying at his feet like he was the greatest man in the universe, Arthur stroking the fur on his head.

She covered her mouth to hide her grin as Danse appeared by her side.

"Well _that_ didn't take long," he quipped.

She laughed softly and shook her head, then turned back to the others. "If you guys wanna pull up some chairs, have a seat, and I'll go get the food."

She exited the side door of the house and made her way to the back towards the Elder and the dog.

Arthur stopped petting Dogmeat and turned as he heard her coming.

She fought to keep her face blank and held her hands up in front of her. "Please, don't let me interrupt," she said innocently.

Arthur chuckled. "If you weren't cooking food, I'm sure he wouldn't like me _half_ as much," he remarked dryly.

She giggled and went over to the cooking station.

"The other men are back for a bit," she said as she took the meat off of the grill. "...Lunch?"

Dogmeat immediately picked his head up, watching Nora like a hawk.

Arthur chuckled as she shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah, you too boy... come on."

* * *

One lunch of grilled radstag, corn, carrots, and Nuka Cola later, Williams looked up at Nora from his plate.

"...I hope you're happy, Taylor. I might never be able to eat the food on the Prydwen again."

The other men chuckled and Nora blushed at the compliment. "Oh come on..." she murmured.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "No offense Elder, but you might have to fire Knight Wallace."

Arthur smirked and glanced over at Nora. "You know... he might have a point, Knight."

She grinned and shook her head. "I have way too much to do _now_ , without having to worry about the culinary tastes of several men and women on board a floating airship."

"Well how 'bout a small settlement then? There's a lot less of us _here_ ," joked Sturges, and everyone chuckled again.

Danse stood up from the table reluctantly. "Well... we should probably finish up."

Nora looked up at him. "Are you sure you don't-"

" _NO_ ," came the immediate reply from the other men in unison.

She snorted and looked downward, holding her hands up innocently. "Okay, just wanted to check."

"Thank you for the delicious meal, Taylor," Williams said appreciatively, and the other men nodded their thanks as well. They smiled softly as they all rose and started to head out again, with the exception of Arthur.

* * *

Some time later, Preston, Sturges, Nora, and Arthur all stood in front the large gravesite of the inhabitants of Vault 111, minus Nate. Danse and Williams were currently preparing Nate's gravesite behind the house Nate and Nora had shared before all of this had happened over 210 years ago.

The numerous bodies had all been wrapped in sheets, gently lowered into the ground, and covered back over with dirt. Even some of the other settlers of Sanctuary had appeared, albeit standing off to the side a bit, to pay their respects for Nora's sake.

Nora took a deep breath and laid a large, flat piece of wood upright against a large rock she had placed before the gravesite, with words she had painted upon it:

 _Here lie the inhabitants of Vault 111:_

 _Mr. & Mrs. Callahan  
Mr. & Mrs. Able  
Mr. Russell  
Mr. DiPietro_  
 _Mr. & Mrs. Whitfield_  
 _Cindy Cofran_  
 _Mr. & Mrs. Cofran_

 _'Requiem aeternam dona eis'_

She stood back up and sighed.

"I know it's not much..." she said softly, "but... I wanted to do _something_ to make sure they were remembered-"

"Not to worry, Nora," Preston assured her gently. "I'll see to it that they get a proper marker as soon as we can get one. In the meantime, this one will do just fine."

She nodded and the group was silent for a few moments. After another minute, Sturges cleared his throat quietly.

"What, uh... what does that saying down the bottom mean?"

" 'Requiem aeternam dona eis' ?" she asked. "It means 'Grant them eternal rest'. I... know a little Latin from my pre-war days." She paused and frowned, her stomach tightening a bit. "I don't... even know when exactly they died," she murmured. "I don't know... what year it was when it happened."

She felt Arthur gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Nora," he said quietly, foregoing propriety under the circumstances. "It's not really important _when_ exactly it happened. What matters is that you honored them by remembering them."

Preston and Sturges both nodded at that, and she gave him a small, sad smile.

"Thank you. So... I suppose... there's just one thing left, then," she said quietly.

The other men said nothing, but followed behind slowly as she turned and headed up the road towards her house - but not before nodding gratefully at the other settlers who had showed up in support and receiving an occasional pat on the back or shoulder from a couple of them.

* * *

She stood with the other men in her backyard, looking down at the gravesite and the other temporary marker she had created:

 _Nathaniel 'Nate' Delaney_  
 _PFC, US Army, 2nd BN, 108th INF REGT_  
 _Sino-American War, Battle of Anchorage_  
 _Born March 5th, 2052_  
 _Loving husband and father_

The other men were silent, and she knew she should say _something_ , but her mind was drawing a blank at the moment.

"...Mum..." she heard softly from behind her.

She and the other men turned and saw Codsworth approach her slowly. In his clawed arm, he grasped the trifolded American flag in the wooden case that had been in Nora's house.

"...As you requested, Mum," he said, his artificial voice sounding forlorn and woeful.

She reached out slowly and took the case from him. "Thank you, Codsworth." She placed the case on top of Nate's grave in front of the marker, then stood once more. She paused, then turned back to Codsworth and gently placed a hand on his metal casing.

"...I know he meant a lot to you, too," she murmured quietly.

Codsworth made a sound that sounded like a sniff and bobbed up and down a little. "He... would have been very proud of you, Mum," he replied.

She smiled sadly and gave the robot a gentle pat. She turned back to the grave and took a deep breath, trying to make sure her voice remained as steady as possible.

"...Nate may not have died in battle, or in war... but he nevertheless died a hero," she said. "When the safety of his son was threatened, he refused to let him go - even with a gun pointed right at him - at the cost of his own life."

Words from a holotape recorded long ago swept through her mind: _'Everything we do, no matter how hard... we do it for our family.'_

She paused and clenched her teeth together, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. She wanted to keep going, but words were simply failing her. She worried that if she tried to force words out _anyway_ , she would just break down and embarrass herself in front of the others there.

She bit her bottom lip a little, trying to sort out where to go from there, when she heard bootsteps beside her and a hand gently laid itself on her shoulder. She looked over to see Danse looking down at her, a sympathetic look upon his face.

"...If... I may?" he asked carefully.

She blinked in surprise but nodded.

Danse cleared his throat softly and looked downward at the grave respectfully.

"There are many people we meet in life. Some do great deeds; but of all that can proudly be called a hero, there is none greater than the person who gives their life for their country, or for their family. I obviously didn't know Nate, but I _do_ know that he did not die in vain. He made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his family, and will be remembered forever as the brave soldier and fine human being that he was."

He brought his fist up to his chest, saluting the burial mound.

"Ad victoriam, brother."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Williams and Arthur duplicate the gesture with a somber "ad victoriam".

Nora, feeling very touched by the gesture, felt her eyes start to tear up and blinked a few times, trying to will them away as she repeated the salute as well. She looked over at Danse and nodded slightly, knowing he would understand her gratitude without words.

He nodded back and turned to the other men. "I suppose, if there's nothing further..." he glanced over to Nora again, who shook her head slightly. "...then we should probably be heading back to the Prydwen."

He shook hands with both Preston and Sturges, and thanked them for their help. While Williams and Arthur also went to extend their farewells, he put a hand on Nora's shoulder.

"...Take all the time you need, Nora," he said quietly.

She cast a quick glance at the other men, who were occupied with saying their goodbyes to each other, then leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you... so, _so_ much - for _everything_ ," she said intensely, and shook her head a little. "Danse... I... can't even..."

He held up a hand to stop her and shook his (blushing) head back.

"Don't - you don't _need_ to," he said with a small, gentle smile. "When you're ready - _no_ rush - we'll be waiting outside Sanctuary for you, and then we'll call a vertibird with a signal grenade."

She nodded at him, and with a nod to the other men, Danse headed around the side of Nora's house towards the entrance to Sanctuary.

Williams gave her a gentle pat on the back and a sympathetic smile, then soon followed Danse.

She took a deep breath and looked over at the two Minutemen. "Guys... seriously, I can't thank you enough," she told them.

They both smiled gently at her as well.

"Think nothing of it," Preston assured her. "You would've done the same for us in a heartbeat. You helped us without question in Concord. It wasn't even a second thought."

Sturges nodded and patted her on the arm. "Take the time you need, then go do what you do best - kick some butt and go save the Commonwealth."

She laughed softly and gave them both a hug. They both nodded at her and gave her one last smile, before moving on to make their usual rounds around Sanctuary.

She finally turned to the last two - Codsworth and Arthur. She was silent for a moment, then placed a hand on Codsworth's metal casing again.

"Codsworth..." she began.

"Mum-" he interrupted gently. "...words are... simply not needed. I understand. You know how I feel - in a manner of speaking. You _know_ I will be here for you whenever you need me."

She paused, then smiled as she gave him a small pat. "...Thank you, Codsworth."

He floated back around the side of the house and though the side door.

Finally, it was just her and Arthur. They simply stared at each other for a few seconds.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably at first - not quite sure what to say, and not wanting to do or say something inappropriate for the situation.

Finally, he just looked at her with a softhearted expression and held out his arms a little.

She paused for a moment, then walked forward and slid her arms around his shoulders, embracing him tightly. She felt his powerful arms encircle her and sighed, feeling warmth all over and a little relief as he comforted her. One of his hands rubbed up and down on her back gently.

"I... _am_ sorry, Nora," he murmured quietly.

She pulled back and looked up at his blue eyes.

"...Me too," she admitted. "What happened to Nate..." she frowned and shook her head. "...But... as I said before - there's no going back now. At least... he's in a better place, and can finally rest in peace. Me - the best thing I can do for him is to find Shaun and put a stop to the Institute once and for all. I'm ready to move forward... with _you._ "

She reached up to cup his cheek, then stopped before her hand reached him.

Arthur blinked, seeing a change come across her facial expression. "...What is it?" he asked in concern.

She looked down at her hand, and it took him a moment to realize she was staring at the gold wedding band still around her finger.

She slowly removed it with her other hand, staring at it in her palm for a moment. She then reached under the neck of her uniform and pulled up a strand of some sort. At first he thought she was reaching for her holotags, but then watched her produce another gold band around a leather cord he'd never seen before. She removed it from around her neck, then tinkered with it for a few seconds. When she seemed satisfied, he saw that she had placed her own wedding band on the cord with the original.

He released her as she stepped back from him, then laid the cord around the top of the wooden case containing the flag the robot had brought out for her. She kissed the back of her fingers, then gently touched them to the case.

"...Goodbye sweetheart," she whispered. She then withdrew her fingers and stood upright once more. She stared down at the gravesite for a few more seconds, then turned back to Arthur again and nodded.

"I'm ready," she said softly.

"...Are you sure?" he asked her carefully. "I won't rush you, Nora-"

"No, it's all right," she insisted. "I've done everything I need to do." She gave him a light smile, suddenly looking a bit weary.

"Let's... go home," she said.

Arthur stared at her for a moment, his eyes widening a little.

"...Home?" he asked her, a warm feeling spreading through him at hearing her refer to the Prydwen as such.

She nodded and cupped his right cheek, running her thumb affectionately over his trademark scar.

"...Home," she confirmed in a tender voice.

* * *

It was evening when they were all finally back aboard the Prydwen. Nora took a deep breath, feeling like she truly _was_ where she belonged. The Brotherhood might have had some ideas about things she wasn't 100% crazy about (like their general views on non-feral ghouls, and synths that posed no threat to others, like Nick), but... there were _good_ people aboard the Prydwen. People that truly cared about her - people like Danse, Brooks, Grace, Paladin Williams, Brandis, even Knights Womack  & Petris... and of course, Arthur. Though her family (minus Shaun) was long gone... she felt at least somewhat at peace. The Brotherhood was now her family.

The four of them were all pretty drained (emotionally and/or physically) from the day's events, so Arthur told the other two men to take the rest of the evening as they saw fit.

Nora made sure to thank and give one more hug to both Danse and Williams (both of which smiled softly at her and turned a little pink) before they retired to their respective quarters. She walked with Arthur to his quarters and stepped in when he held the door open for her, then closed it gently behind them.

He took a seat at the table, and she took a seat across for him. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, trying not to look at the small stack of paperwork on the table that still needed to be gone through and inspected.

Nora frowned when she saw it and looked up at him timidly. "I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I didn't mean to make your job more difficult."

He shook his head and smiled a little at her. "You have nothing to apologize for," he said. "There's always _something_ for me to inspect, or go over, or proofread, et cetera. It's just part of being the Elder. This - this was important today. I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat, if I had to."

She smiled slightly for a couple seconds, then looked downward at the table, as if something were weighing heavily on her mind. Arthur blinked and stared at her.

"...What is it?" he asked her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped again. Her face began to flush a little, and he could see her shifting her weight uncomfortably in her chair. He narrowed his eyes a little in confusion, then reached over the table and gave one of her hands a gentle squeeze.

"Nora," he prodded firmly, "...tell me."

She looked back up at him, then took a deep breath - as if she were steeling herself for whatever she was about to say next.

Arthur started feeling concerned, wondering what was causing this kind of a reaction in her.

She bit her bottom lip a little (a habit he was starting to pick up on more and more whenever she was nervous or uncertain about something). Finally, she spoke.

"I was... wondering..." she began hesitantly. "You've... done so much for me, and I don't want... don't like the idea of asking you for anything _more_ , but..."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for her to finish. She closed her eyes and sighed as she ran her hands through her ponytail anxiously.

 _'Just spit it out already,'_ she chastised herself. _'If he says no, he says no - you move on and it's no big deal... hopefully.'_

She decided to force herself forward - like ripping off a band-aid - otherwise she might lose her nerve. Her fists clenched unconsciously as she blurted out her next words.

"Would it be all right if... I spent the night here with you?"

Arthur stared at her blankly for a few seconds as her question slowly sunk in. His other eyebrow slowly raised to join the first one as his eyes widened. He felt his face heat up rapidly as he watched her own face redden at the implication of her request.

She quickly held her hands up defensively. "I don't- I know it's probably not appropriate, and I'm not asking you to... 'do anything'," she muttered in a hurry. "I just... don't ...want to be alone tonight."

At the stunned expression on Arthur's face, she suddenly wanted to sink through the floor and find a corner to hide in in the lower level storage area. She quickly stood up, almost knocking her chair backwards in the process.

"I... I shouldn't have asked, it was really stupid of me, I'm sorry," she babbled, and raced for the door.

She reached the handle and had just started to pull it open when Arthur's hand appeared in front of her face and pushed the door shut with a bang once more. She stared at his hand for a couple seconds before she slowly turned her head to look back at the rest of him, sure that embarrassment and uneasiness were probably crystal clear on her features. She swallowed nervously when she saw the tight, stony expression that had settled on his face.

He wasn't looking directly in her eyes - instead appearing as if her were looking right _through_ her, lost in thought. No words were spoken between the two for several very long seconds.

Finally, Arthur blinked and inhaled sharply.

"...You _know_ that... this wouldn't be a request I could grant all the time," he said stiffly.

Nora paused, then gave the slightest of nods.

"...And you know how serious it could possibly be - for _both_ of us - if someone were to find out about it..."

Another nod.

He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, wresting with several voices shouting thoughts in his head all at once. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get his racing pulse to return to normal once more. He finally met her eyes, and she wanted to shiver at the way they seemed to burn into hers. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly.

He slowly walked over to a chest of drawers and rummaged around for a couple seconds, then returned to her side and held out some spare clothes.

She took them from him and looked down to see what he had given her - some pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Clothes for you to change into," he explained to her. "It... wouldn't do for you to just sleep in your uniform."

She looked back up at him again, her eyebrows raised in mild amusement.

"...What?" he asked her warily, not sure if he liked the look she was giving him.

"It's just... surprising that you even _have_ these," she replied. "I... can't really picture you in anything but your battlecoat and uniform."

Arthur scoffed slightly. "Did you think I wore this _all_ the time?" he asked.

Nora shrugged. "I've... never seen you in anything else," she admitted.

"I don't think it would really do for the Elder to wander the Prydwen in his pajamas..." he retorted dryly. "It's not terribly professional _or_ appropriate."

She couldn't help giggling a little at the mental image of Arthur standing on the Command Deck, wearing a bathrobe, pajama pants, and fuzzy slippers, trying his best to look commanding.

He gestured behind him with his head.

"I have a private bathroom attached to my quarters... you can change in there when you're ready."

She nodded and started to head there. Arthur turned to watch her with raised eyebrows.

"... _Now?_ You... don't want to have dinner first, or anything?"

She turned back to him and shook her head. "I'm still full from our meal at Sanctuary, and... just really wiped out from today. If it's all right, I'd like to just turn in. You don't have to join me right now, if there's things you have to do..." Her face reddened again at her own words.

Arthur felt his throat tighten a bit and nodded.

"I... should probably try to get a little paperwork done, but I probably won't be long myself."

She nodded back again and headed into the bathroom.

As soon as he head the door click shut, he sighed heavily and rubbed at the skin between his eyes.

This woman... was absolutely going to be the death of him.

* * *

He was sitting at the table, gradually going through his stack of reports when he heard the door to his bathroom click open again. It took _every_ ounce of willpower (to an almost agonizing degree) for his eyes _not_ to snap upwards immediately as he saw Nora emerge from the room out of the corner of his eyes and head over to his bed.

When he thought her back was safely turned, he allowed himself to peek over the top of the paperwork. He realized that - like her comment to him earlier - he also hadn't ever seen her out of her vault suit or her Brotherhood uniform before.

His clothes were, of course, quite big on her much smaller frame, but seeing them on her... his stomach lurched and he felt his mouth instantly go dry.

He swallowed hard and darted his eyes back downward as she placed her uniform on the footlocker at the end of his bed, climbed into his bed, and slid under his sheets with a satisfied sigh. He saw her arm move upwards and couldn't help glimpsing back up at her, to see her gently pull her hair out of its ponytail and shake it loose with her fingers, her long honey-colored hair falling around her shoulders and down her back. He felt his face heating up and forced his eyes back down at the paperwork once more.

...This was going to be a long night.

* * *

After he'd read through a few more reports about mundane topics (fuel consumption by the Prydwen, technical details about inventory and such), he decided that he wasn't going to be much more productive tonight and pushed the stack of papers aside. Even if he hadn't done as much hard labor as the other men, he still felt exhausted and was ready for... what would _hopefully_ be a long night of sleep.

He looked up across the table and gazed at Nora's sprawled-out form for a minute.

She hadn't spoken since she'd gotten into the bed, letting him do whatever work was necessary in peace. Now she slumbered quietly on her side, her chest rising and falling slightly with each breath.

He felt warm all over as he watched her. She made him feel... protective. Like he just wanted to pull her into his arms, shield her from all the danger and poison the Commonwealth - no the _world_ \- threatened her with, make sure that nothing ever harmed or hurt her ever again, and never let her go.

It... wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Quite the opposite, actually. It... was a feeling he found he didn't want to be without.

He let out a deep sigh he didn't realize he'd been holding and stood up, trying to be as quiet as he could so as not to wake her. He slid out of his battlecoat and draped it over one of the chairs at the table, then pulled some clothes out of the chest of drawers similar to what he'd given her. Usually he just slept in pajama pants and forwent the shirt, but... under the circumstances, he thought adding a t-shirt would probably be for the best.

He went into the bathroom to change (not wanting to create any awkward situations should she awaken and see him pulling off his uniform in front of her - the thought of it made his face feel like it was burning). Once he was out again, he slowly walked over to his bed and looked down at her. It was times like this that he was glad he'd gotten a bigger bed than the standard Brotherhood bunk. Being the Elder _did_ have its perks.

He gently climbed in beside her, pulling the sheets over himself as well.

He was already willing his pulse to slow down once more (and not winning the battle), when Nora suddenly moved in her sleep and draped her arm around him with a soft sigh. She then pulled her body closer to his and snuggled against him, leaving - well... _no_ room for imagination.

If Arthur's face wasn't burning before, it sure was now.

He took a shaky breath and froze for a minute - then slowly draped an arm back around her, finding he greatly enjoyed the feeling of having someone so close to him. He couldn't help the soft smile that crossed his face as he leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes.

* * *

END NOTES:  
\- ...I don't totally know how to write for Codsworth, other than to use bigger words and sound a bit proper/snooty. I hope I did okay, and if not I apologize - I'm not planning on him having a huge part in this fic overall anyway, lol.  
\- No idea about Arthur's birth month, obviously I just picked one, lol.

\- I spent so much time agonizing on where to 'put' the Vault 111 residents... examined several overhead pics of Sanctuary, tried to pick a spot that wasn't too hilly or wouldn't be directly in someone's backyard, or wouldn't be a bad place for people to dig a rather large hole for 11 people (I'm being rude & ignoring the skeletons in the vault)... urgh. The last third of this story nearly killed me and felt like it took forever for me to write. *-_- Not gonna lie... I love my fic, but I'm wicked glad this chapter is over, LOL.

\- A small side note: Cindy Cofran's relationship to Mr. and Mrs. Cofran is unclear - she could be their daughter or sister, it was never specified in the game. Mr. and Mrs. Cofran don't appear to be too old & Cindy seems like an adult, so my headcanon is the 'sister' angle.

\- Totally not sure what rank Nate had in the army - again, I guessed. Not really a 'rookie', not as high up as Roger Maxson, obviously (who was a Captain). His other info I found online, though. And obviously also just totally guessed on a DOB. (BN = Battalion, INF = Infantry, REGT = Regiment)

\- So... I gave Arthur a private bathroom. He *IS* the Elder, after all - I find it hard to believe they wouldn't give him one, lol. Yes, there isn't one in the game - but there also isn't one aboard the entire _Prydwen_ in the game. ...Yeah, that won't work for the fic. ;-)

Coming up: 'Hunter/Hunted'! Dun dun DUUUUN!


	23. Chapter 23 - Hunter-Hunted

The first thing that Nora became aware of when her eyes slid open a crack was the dark leather coat draped over the back of a chair at the table in front of her. Her brow scrunched up in mild confusion.

 _' _These... aren't the sleeping quarters... and this is not my bed...'__ she shifted her weight a little and froze when she felt a solid mass underneath her.

 _ _' _ _What-'____

It took her another moment to realize that she was partially laying on top of someone. She slowly looked up to see Arthur's sleeping face by hers. Her eyes widened a little and her body automatically tensed, then she gradually relaxed as she woke up more and remembered the events of the previous day and evening: Sanctuary. Burying the residents of Vault 111, including Nate. Asking Arthur if she could spend the night with him.

She felt herself blush at that and squinted at her Pip-Boy at the foot of his bed, trying to make out the time in the soft green glow of its screen: 4:37am. Far too early to be awake - at least for _her_ , anyway... she wasn't sure what time Arthur normally woke up every morning. She looked back up at him again, then slowly lay her head on his chest as she continued gazing at him.

He looked... peaceful. Most times she was used to seeing his brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, or a frown or scowl upon his normally serious face. It was only somewhat recently that she'd started seeing a change in him... a soft chuckle, maybe even a laugh, and when he smiled it seemed to reach his eyes and light up his whole face. Ever since... ever since... her heart skipped a beat at the realization.

Ever since... the two of them... since they started whatever one would classify their relationship as...

She took a deep breath, her pulse suddenly feeling like it was coursing through her veins.

He looked... _beautiful_ just lying there. She could think of no other words to describe it. This was not the warmonger she had heard other people outside the Brotherhood speak of. This wasn't the man that had killed a couple raiders at age 12, a deathclaw at 13, a powerful super mutant at 15, elder of the entire Eastern Brotherhood by age 16...

When she looked at him, she saw strength, yes - but not just the same kind of strength his subordinates saw... a different kind. The kind of strength a man would use to do anything to protect the things he cared about. The kind that a man like him would allow very few to see - the strength of facing pain, doubt, fear, and loneliness in his life and pushing through it anyway.

The flood of emotions that flew through her just looking at him was so strong, she almost gasped - her heart feeling like it was pounding. She yearned to reach her hands up and touch him - feel his hard muscles under her palms, trace her fingertips along his facial scar, press her mouth against his soft, full lips...

She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.

 _'Get a grip Nora, this is crazy...'_

She hadn't felt this way since... well, Nate, obviously. She didn't realize how much she'd missed having someone to be there for her, comfort her... hold her close and keep her safe while she slept. She found she loved the feeling of his arms around her and cuddled against him, realizing that this was the closest they'd ever been to one another. It caused a dull ache in her chest to think that they couldn't do this every night. She understood why, but...

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to will her pulse to stop racing. She concentrated on the gentle thumping of his heartbeat under her ear, and allowed the soft rising and falling of his chest to lull her back to sleep.

* * *

Arthur yawned and rubbed at his still closed eyes with his right hand sleepily. He almost smiled, feeling more rested than he'd felt in... well, a long time. It had been a good night of sleep. He went to raise his arms above him and stretch - then froze at the weight he suddenly felt on his chest and left arm.

His eyes snapped open as he looked downward and blinked.

 _'...Nora...'_ he realized. He had almost forgotten.

Her blonde hair was spread out over her back and his chest, her lips parted a little as she breathed in and out softly. He watched her for a few moments, warmth rising to his chest again as he stared at her. One of her hands was resting on top of his chest near her face, the other was laying on his bicep. His left arm must have snaked around her in his sleep, for it now lay against the small of her back.

He slowly reached over and clasped her left hand in his right. It just... felt so... _right_ having her here in his arms, as if everything was as it _should_ be. He was a little stunned at his own feelings. He'd been alone for so long... and being with Nora just felt so... _natural_ to him, as if she'd been by his side all along. ...Almost as if she was _supposed_ to be with him.

He shook his head internally.

 _'Don't,'_ his logical side reminded him. _'Don't get used to this. You can't do this every night. You_ _know_ _you can't._ _She_ _knows you can't. You're the Elder of the Brotherhood... what would people say? What kind of example would you be setting?'_

He looked down at her again and frowned.

 _'...It isn't fair,'_ his mind protested feebly. He'd never really wanted _anything_ for himself before - maybe not even to be the Elder. It was just responsibility and duty rearing their somewhat-ugly heads all over again. It was just what he was 'supposed to do'. The only thing he ever felt like he really wanted was... _her_. What... was he just supposed to be a bland robot for the Brotherhood for the rest of his life? Just leading and giving orders? He wasn't allowed feelings of his _own?_

 _'Don't be a child... stop pouting,'_ his mind scolded him. _'_ _Life_ _is not fair. You knew what your life was destined to be the moment you could comprehend it. You're a Maxson, damn it... just make the best out of it.'_

He sighed as he closed his eyes and unknowingly squeezed Nora a little tighter against him, not liking the idea of letting her out of his arms - even temporarily.

He opened his eyes again when he felt her shift on top of him. He looked down at her as her eyelids fluttered open. She slowly moved her head upwards to look back at him. Blinking sleepily, she gave him a warm smile and he felt his anxiety melt away in an instant.

"Morning," she murmured.

"Good morning," he replied back softly. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head a little. "Don't be... if I woke up like this every morning, I'd be pretty damn happy. I know I _can't_ -" she added quickly, "but... I'm still going to enjoy it as much as I can for _now_."

He smiled and couldn't resist leaning forward to place a tender kiss on her forehead, reveling in the way her cheeks flushed as he did so.

She reached up and stroked her fingertips along his jaw, liking the feel of his facial hair against her skin. "...Does it... ever hurt you?" she asked quietly, and it took him a moment to realize that she was referring to his trademark deathclaw scar. His face grew somber.

"...Only when someone touches it," he said gravely.

Her eyes widened and she immediately pulled her hand back, as if burnt. He couldn't hold back his soft laughter, and she narrowed her eyes at him as she realized he was only kidding.

"Ohh... you're awful!" she complained as she gave him a playful shove.

"I guess your odd sense of humor is rubbing off on me," he smiled. "But to answer your question _seriously_ \- it doesn't... _most_ of the time. It's rare, but once in a while a nerve may pinch and it may sting a little, but luckily it doesn't last long."

"Hmm... is _that_ why you were so surly when I first met you?" she asked with a grin.

He raised an eyebrow. "...I was surly when you first met me because I had a newly-christened Knight who looked like anything _but_ a soldier, and was asking me why I wasn't promoting her to _Paladin_ ," he quipped back.

She giggled and shook her head at the memory.

His face grew thoughtful after a moment. "...Does... _yours_ still hurt?" he asked cautiously.

She looked down towards her left side and paused for a second, then without thinking, she pulled her shirt (technically, _his_ shirt) up a bit to look at it. It didn't look too dissimilar from Arthur's, albeit much newer than his was.

"...I don't really think about it, to be honest," she confessed, propping herself up on her elbow beside him. "It hasn't bothered me _yet_ , but Cade had warned me that what you said was a possibility in the future."

She looked back up at him and blinked at the expression on his face. Arthur was staring at her scar, looking mesmerized by it. She blushed a little and suddenly felt self-conscious under his sharp gaze. She was about to pull the shirt back down, when he suddenly rolled onto his side and reached out with his hand. He stopped short just shy of her skin and pulled his fingers back a bit, as if suddenly second-guessing himself. He looked up at her and suddenly appeared bashful.

"...May I?" he asked timidly, his voice quiet. She paused, then nodded slightly.

He reached out again, much slower this time - then ever-so-gently traced his fingertips over her scar. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard, her skin feeling electrified everywhere his fingers touched.

After a few seconds, his eyes glanced up and met hers. They stared at each other intensely for several seconds. Finally, they seemed to move at the same exact time - each reaching for the other.

One of Arthur's hands thrust itself into Nora's hair, while the other wound itself around her waist. Her fists bunched up into the front of his shirt, and the two of them pulled the other towards them, until their lips finally met in a blaze of desire. They sank back down to the bed on their sides. Her hands unclenched from his shirt as she slid one into his hair as well, the other sliding around his middle, her fingertips pressing into his back. She let out a small moan of pleasure, quickly returned by Arthur as he tightened his grip on her.

He felt her skin under his palm on her waist and unconsciously slid it upwards under her shirt, reveling in the feel of the soft skin on her bare back. She arched her back against him and moaned softly again, causing what felt like most of his blood to go south almost immediately.

 _'You have to stop this,'_ his mind implored him, _'You shouldn't be doing this...'_

His thoughts were immediately shoved out of his head as she hooked a leg around his hip and pulled herself even closer to him. She dragged her fingernails down the thin fabric of the back of his shirt and kissed him again passionately.

 _'Oh steel...'_ he thought desperately, _'I can't...'_

It almost pained him to pull himself away from her as he gasped for air.

"Nora..." he panted weakly.

She shook her head a little as she pulled her arms and leg back quickly, also struggling to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," she rasped quickly. "I... I didn't mean to..."

 _'To_ _what_ _?'_ her brain snapped at her. _'To practically_ _force_ _yourself on him?'_

She looked down at the bed, suddenly feeling mortified at her behavior.

Arthur stared at her incredulously. "... _You're_ sorry?" he repeated in disbelief, and shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just the opposite, in fact-"

"You _asked_ me before to be patient with you, and I just..." she trailed off, her face growing scarlet and suddenly feeling very tight, still avoiding his gaze.

He paused for a few seconds, then gently placed his fingers under her chin and tilted it upwards to get her to look at him. He was shocked when he saw how upset she looked and felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"Listen to me," he said gently. "You have _nothing_ to feel bad about. You weren't doing anything I wasn't enjoying. I _was_ enjoying myself, very much... almost _too_ much," he admitted bashfully, reddening a little. "I just... don't think it would be the best idea at the moment."

She nodded and looked down again, but he gently tilted her chin back up once more, wanting her to fully understand.

"I'm _not_ saying 'no', I promise you - just... maybe not _right now_. Please... don't be upset, Nora," he softly pleaded. "You have _no_ idea how much..." It was his turn to trail off and turn redder now.

She stared at him intently for a second, then shook her head again. "Arthur... you don't owe me _anything_ , let alone an explanation right now." She gently cupped his cheek. "If you don't want to... ' _continue_ ', you certainly don't _have_ to, and I'm sure as hell not going to pressure you. I don't want you to do _anything_ you don't want to."

He gave a frustrated sigh and leaned his forehead against hers. "It's not... it's not that I don't _want_ to... I _do_..." He leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. "I just... don't... want to have anyone... _hear_ us." He felt like his face was burning at his awkward attempt at an explanation, and he was sure he probably looked as red as a tato.

She stared at him for few seconds, then raised her eyebrows slowly.

"...Is that all?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice (and... something that sounded a bit like relief to Arthur, but he couldn't be totally sure).

He nodded. "It might... create a bit of a scandal if half of the Prydwen were to hear us... um..."

"...'Copulating'?" she finished for him with an impish smile, despite how red her face was. He swallowed hard and nodded again. The fact that Arthur even thought that they _would_ be loud enough for other people to hear did not help with her sudden arousal, and the images in her head it produced - which she quickly forced back out again.

...And deep down, if she were being truly honest with herself - she knew he was probably right.

She nodded back as she brushed her lips against his gently and sat up.

"You're right... I wasn't thinking straight, I'm sorry," she said softly.

He paused for a few seconds, then reached his arms out and gently pulled her back down to lay on him.

"Well... I didn't say you had to _leave_ ," he murmured. She giggled and wrapped her arms back around him.

"Don't you have... 'Elder duties' you have to attend to?" she asked with a smile, laying her head on his shoulder.

He lifted his head to squint at her Pip-Boy at the foot of his bed: 6:15am. He flopped his head back down and grunted.

"...I believe Kells can hold things down for a _little_ while longer..." he said wryly. "I doubt the Prydwen is going to crash into the ground within the next half hour." He turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow, a slight smile crossing his face. "...It _is_ good to be the Elder sometimes."

She grinned and cuddled against him, loving the feel of his strong arms around her, holding her close.

* * *

A little while later, Nora emerged from Arthur's bathroom wearing her Brotherhood uniform. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she glanced over at him, sitting at his terminal typing rapidly. He'd reluctantly gotten up to change back into his uniform before she had, but hadn't put on his trademark battlecoat just yet.

She smiled softly as she watched him for a moment, then walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, slowly rubbing the tissue underneath.

Arthur was grateful he was just about done with the reply he was composing to Ingram's status report, because as soon as he felt her digging her fingers into his usually-stiff muscles, his eyes automatically slid closed and he had to suppress a soft moan at the contentment he felt. He opened his eyes again to quickly send the message off and straightened up in his chair, his shoulders flexing involuntarily as she massaged them with care. He let out a heavy sigh and let her continue for a few minutes, then turned his head to look back at her.

"I _knew_ you were going to be _terrible_ for my productivity..." he muttered.

She had to chuckle at the adorable almost-pout on his face as he said it, and couldn't resist leaning down to press her lips softly against his. She gradually stopped her hands as she felt him reach up and cup her cheek, returning the gesture. When they both reluctantly pulled their lips away from each other, she leaned her forehead against his.

"Arthur..." she said softly, trying to pick her next words carefully. "...I think it's safe to say that I've had a pretty good amount of time to recover from my injuries from the Glowing Sea... wouldn't you?"

He paused, then slowly pulled back from her - his eyes narrowing at her suspiciously.

"...Perhaps..." he replied guardedly, having a feeling he wasn't going to like where the conversation was heading.

She took a deep breath and set her mouth in a firm line. "...It's time I return back to the field. And... I think you know what that means."

He shook his head as he pushed his chair back. "No. There is _no_ way I'm letting you do that."

Nora narrowed her eyes. "Arthur-"

" _No_ , Nora," he insisted as he stood up and faced her. "It's far too dangerous. I don't even like the idea of sending you on _regular_ missions right now, let alone hunting after an Institute Courser - a synth that's trained _solely_ to hunt and _kill_ , if need be. I wouldn't even be entirely comfortable sending _Danse_ out to perform such a task, and you know he's one of my best soldiers. I'm sorry."

She frowned, then shook her head. "I don't accept that."

His eyebrows shot upwards. "Excuse me?"

"I. Don't. Accept that." she repeated firmly. "You _know_ this is something I have to do. And even _that_ aside, you also know that you can't just keep me aboard the Prydwen like a prisoner, just to ensure that I stay safe."

Arthur huffed. "Nora-"

" _Arthur_ -" she interrupted, "I'm a soldier. Like Danse is. Like _you_ were. Even if I didn't do _this_ mission, the Institute would _still_ be a problem - and I would just go on some other mission that could be just as dangerous in which something could go wrong."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. She stepped closer and gently put a hand on his chest.

"Arthur... I know when I joined the Brotherhood, neither of us were expecting... _this_ -" she gestured between the two of them with her other hand, "-to happen. And I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. But as much as I appreciate the effort, you _know_ you can't keep me safe forever. At the end of the day, I still have a job to do, just like you." She paused, then hit him with a question he didn't like.

"...If I was _any_ other soldier, would you feel the same way about sending me out?"

He stared at her for a few moments, his expression growing sad. He sighed again and looked down at the floor.

 _'Damn it...'_ he thought, feeling defeated and knowing she was right.

"I... I already lost Sarah," he mumbled feebly. He slowly took both of her hands in his, then gradually looked up at her eyes again. "I... don't want to lose you too."

Nora felt her chest clench a little bit. She released one of his hands and cupped his cheek tenderly.

"...I know that. It goes without saying, but it's a very dangerous world out there. What we do is dangerous work - but someone's got to do it. We're soldiers - it's kind of an 'occupational hazard'."

He smiled sadly and chuckled a little, and she paused for a few seconds.

"Would it make you feel better if I went with Danse AND Brooks?"

Arthur paused as well while he pondered this. "It... might," he begrudgingly replied. He sighed heavily and leaned his forehead against hers again.

"Please, _please_ be careful..." he murmured. "I _know_ you're a good soldier, and can take care of yourself - you've clearly proven that more than once. It doesn't stop me from worrying, however."

She brushed her lips against his, then nodded.

"Remember what I told you at the forecastle?" she reminded him. "That still stands. It always will."

He kissed her again, deeper this time, then stepped back from her with a sigh (a behavior that was becoming more common when he was around her, he noticed). He nodded his head towards his door.

"Go get some breakfast, then have them both come to my quarters with you when you're done."

* * *

Danse nodded at Nora over their morning coffee in the dining area.

"With _us_ on the job, that Courser doesn't stand a chance," he said.

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, we make a great team. I just hope Brooks has as much confidence as _you_ do."

"I don't think I could _ever_ have as much confidence as Paladin Danse does," came a familiar voice behind her, and she grinned as Brooks slid into the seat next to her.

He smiled back at her, but she could see a different emotion in his eyes. Her grin faded a little and she raised her eyebrows as he cleared his throat, suddenly looking serious.

"I'm... really sorry that I couldn't be there for you guys _yesterday_ ," he said softly.

Danse quickly shook his head. "You were off doing your duty, soldier. No one can ask more of you than that."

"Yeah, I know..." Brooks said, not sounding wholly convinced. "But-"

"Brooks-" Nora gently interrupted. "I have _no_ doubt that you would have been there for me if you _could_ have been." She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. " _Buuuut_... if you _really_ feel bad about it... I've got a way you can make it up to both me _and_ Danse."

Danse raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say, _'...Really?'_

She held back a snort as Brooks looked a little unsure.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" he asked dryly.

Nora shrugged. "Weeelllllll... we just need your assistance with a mission. It may be a little dangerous for just Danse and me." She pursed her lips a little. "Well actually, _I_ think we'd be just fine, but _Elder Maxson_ -"

"What she's _trying_ to say-" Danse interrupted while shooting her a look, "is that it's strategically best to have a _few_ soldiers on this mission instead of just _two_. We don't quite know what to expect, so it's better to be as prepared as possible."

Brooks slowly raised an eyebrow as he glanced from Danse to Nora.

"...What kind of mission _is_ this?" he asked curiously.

* * *

"I know this mission is a little... 'different' than the type of missions we _usually_ send our soldiers on," Arthur remarked, looking at the two Knights and the Paladin standing in front of him in his quarters a little while later.

"However, a lot of our missions involving the Institute are going to _be_ unusual, because we don't have a way of knowing exactly what kind of a threat we're up against. Super mutants, raiders, gunners, ferals... we mostly know what to expect from _them_ and can plan accordingly. The Institute is new and not much is known about them. That is why precision, detail, and care are of the _utmost_ importance during these missions."

He'd been standing with his hands behind his back, and now started pacing back and forth a little as he talked.

"You three are to travel to the C.I.T Ruins, north of Diamond City. According to Dr. Virgil, _this_ is the primary insertion point for Institute Coursers." His eyes met with Nora's. "When you get to the ruins, tune the radio in your Pip-Boy to the lower end of the band and listen in. Once you hear the interference, follow the signal, and it will hopefully lead you to a courser."

Nora nodded as he continued.

"Once you three dispatch the Courser, retrieve the Courser chip from its head to have it analyzed. Perhaps Dr. Amari in Goodneighbor may be able to assist, considering she was the one who ultimately lead us to Dr. Virgil in the _first_ place." His face grew a bit more grim. "If the mission gets out of control or appears to be too dangerous for the three of you, your orders are to _abort_ \- do _not_ continue to engage." His eyes flitted to Danse, who gave a slight nod in understanding.

"It is _much_ easier for us to regroup and form a different strategy, than it is for us to lose valuable soldiers," Arthur went on, taking the time to stare at each of them as he said this to make sure they fully understood - his eyes lingering on Nora's for a bit longer than the other two men. He paused, then took a deep breath.

"If there's no other questions... then you're all dismissed. Be careful out there soldiers, and... good luck. Ad victoriam."

He saluted the three of them, who all returned the gesture.

As Danse and Brooks filed out of his quarters, Nora cast one last look back at him. He stared back at her, a concerned expression on his face.

She looked back at the door quickly, then raced forward and placed a quick kiss upon his lips when she saw that it was safe to do so.

"I'll be fine - I promise," she whispered.

Arthur smiled a little. "You'd better come back to me in one piece this time," he murmured back.

She grinned and headed out of the room to catch up with the other two.

* * *

"So... a Courser, huh?" Brooks asked as he, Nora, and Danse approached the C.I.T. ruins - the vertibird having dropped them a little ways away. He'd been pretty silent during the flight over, but decided now was a good a time as any to speak up.

Nora turned to look at him in his power armor. Danse had her spare suit of armor on, since both of theirs were still in the Glowing Sea, and she'd luckily managed to borrow a spare suit as well - but not without a threat from Ingram to not lose or destroy _this_ one. The three of them had their helmets off for now, until they were a little closer to reaching the Courser.

"Yep," she responded back. "I know they're trained to capture and kill if necessary, but... so are gunners, you know? And while gunners certainly aren't fun to deal with, they're not _impossible_. A Courser couldn't be _that_ much harder... right?"

She looked at Danse, who looked a bit skeptical.

 _'Gunners are_ _people_ _,'_ he wanted to remind her. _'Coursers are_ _not_ _. They're_ _created_ _... they can be made stronger, faster, more dangerous... more_ _lethal_ _...'_

"Let's not get too cocky," he told her. "Being overconfident could impair our judgment. We need to remain vigilant and on guard."

Brooks and Nora nodded as she stopped walking and raised her Pip-Boy.

"I guess now's a good time to turn the radio on to try and locate that signal," she speculated.

The other two men waited as she tuned her radio to the lower frequency and fiddled with it for a few moments, until they all heard a faint, slow beeping noise emanating from the Pip-Boy.

Nora looked up at Danse, who nodded and flipped his helmet up into his hands.

 _'Show off,'_ she thought with a smile, though she always enjoyed watching him do that.

"Helmets on," Danse announced. "We don't know what will happen or when, so it's best to be prepared."

* * *

The signal led them to a building that seemed to tower over all of the other surrounding structures. When Nora switched off the radio and glanced at the map on her Pip-Boy, the icon that popped up was labeled 'Greentech Genetics'. When she informed the other two of such, Danse scoffed and shook his head.

"Genetics... it figures," he muttered through the filter on his helmet.

Brooks squinted towards the top of the building. "...Do you think there's an elevator?" he asked in a voice that sounded half amused, half disappointed.

"Knowing our luck, I'm sure it's probably busted, or has to be activated from a different location in the building," Nora replied.

They all gave a half sigh, then readied their laser rifles as they cautiously pushed their way through the front doors. As they made their way into the reception area, their eyes fell on the bloodstained body draped over the front desk, prompting another sigh from Danse.

"Gunners," he confirmed as he inspected the body. "Just what we need." He turned to look at Nora and Brooks.

"Keep an eye out for anything useful - like ammo or stimpaks - but be on guard. I doubt I have to inform you two how ruthless gunners are."

They both nodded as they started up the stairs to the second floor. They had just stepped out on the second floor landing when a rough male voice rang out over the building's loudspeaker:

 _"The Courser's on the second floor. Kill on sight. Send reinforcements to the lobby in case there are more."_

"Great," muttered Nora quietly, rolling her eyes. "So we'll either run into the Courser, or the gunners coming back down to kill it."

"And I doubt they'll be happy to see _us_ ," Brooks chimed in.

Danse grunted behind them. "We need to get to that Courser before the gunners do... otherwise we might not get that chip. Let's move out, soldiers."

As they carefully made their way to the central area of the floor, a red laser light caught Nora's eye at the last second. She thrust an arm out and pushed Danse back behind the doorway they were emerging from as the shot barely missed them.

"...I think they discovered that we're here," Brooks said dryly.

She looked at Danse, who nodded his thanks to her, then raised her rifle.

"Then let's give 'em a big, friendly 'hello'," she quipped, and the other two nodded as they followed suit. She poked her head out around the edge of the doorway again quickly, then pulled it back before another hail of bullets could hit her.

"Turrets," she informed them. "One diagonally to the right, one to the left, one on the floor above."

"All right," Danse replied. "I'll get the one above, Brooks - you get the left, Nora - the right."

They both nodded, and Nora was glad he couldn't see the smile on her face. He was slowly using her first name more often (albeit only in small, familiar groups), and she was pretty sure he wasn't even aware he was doing it. She certainly wasn't going to call him out on it, for fear he'd go back to referring to her simply as 'Knight' or 'Knight Taylor'.

"On my signal," he ordered, getting ready himself. "One... two... _three!_ "

The three of them leaned out of the doorway and shot at their intended turrets. All three turrets immediately exploded, and they heard some of the gunners cursing at the backlash.

"Ha!" Brooks muttered. "Serves 'em right."

"All right soldiers," Danse commanded, as random bullets started firing at the doorway. "Our armor can withstand some of this fire, but not for long. Keep your eyes peeled, and take out as many gunners as you can. Let's move out!"

* * *

They fought their way through the building, taking out gunners and turrets alike when necessary. The male voice over the loudspeaker would occasionally bark out orders to the other gunners for all to hear:

 _"What's going on down there? How many are we dealing with?"_  
 _"The Courser is now on the third floor. Reports of the second intruder in the east wing near the courtyard."_  
 _"Barricade stairwells and hallways if you haven't already."_  
 _"We've lost contact with sectors two and four."_  
 _"Fall back to original positions, the Courser's nearing the elevator!"_

It was only when they heard the next announcement that they really paused to look at each other:

 _"The Courser's after the girl. Anyone alive needs to get up to the top floor immediately. That's an order!"_

" _'Girl'?_ " echoed Brooks. " _What_ girl? Don't tell me this is some kind of hostage situation now... I thought Coursers only go after other _synths?_ "

"They do..." Danse replied, sounding pensive. "At least... that's what our intel has told us thus far. Gunners sometimes kidnap people, but what would a _Courser_ want with her?" He shook his head. "At any rate - we still have a job to do. There can't be much more to this building... let's keep going. And if there _is_ an innocent civilian involved, it's our duty to rescue her as well."

Nora and Brooks nodded, and they continued onward into the building. After dispatching a few more gunners, they finally found a working elevator.

"Ugh, _perfect_ ," Brooks sighed with relief. "Power armor or not, I was getting tired of stairs."

Nora and Danse both had to agree - there were only _so_ many gunners they could all fight before it started getting a bit tiring.

Once the elevator reached its highest floor, they crept down the hallway, through a door and up another flight of stairs (but not without another quiet groan from Brooks first), and into a more open area of the building. Danse signaled the others to to freeze when they all heard a panicked male voice from up above them.

"I don't _know_ the password. I'm telling the truth!"

"...I don't believe you _are_ ," a second male voice seemed to almost purr back.

"Oh God... please, no," the first voice pleaded. "No, please - you don't have to do this."

A gunshot soon followed, as the second voice spoke again.

"All he had to do was tell me the password. Now, are _you_ going to cooperate?"

"Oh God, oh God..." It was a new male voice that responded this time. "Okay, okay! Just don't shoot. Let me think."

Danse signaled the other two to move again, and they snuck forward as carefully as they could, trying not to draw attention to themselves until they could get closer. They heard another gunshot, and the second voice spoke to someone else.

"I'm _going_ to get in there. It's just a matter of time."

The three soldiers started making their way up the large staircase as the voice continued.

"Tell me the password."

"Look, I already told you," another new voice insisted, "I don't have it. I'll help you find a way in, but listen - we took the girl fair and square. All we want is a little compensation in return."

"You are in no position to negotiate," the smooth voice said.

Under the circumstances, Nora was guessing that maybe _this_ was their Courser, trying to get in to some kind of locked room to claim this girl the gunners had kidnapped, for whatever reason. The gunners apparently weren't giving the Courser what he wanted fast enough, and he was simply picking them off one by one.

"Okay okay, let me think," the newest gunner pleaded.

The Courser did not sound patient. "Time's running out."

"No please, wait!" the gunner cried. "You can _have_ the girl, just let me go."

Nora _almost_ started feeling a little pity for the gunner, but it vanished when she thought of every shot that had been fired at her, Danse, or Brooks since they'd gotten there, and how the gunners wouldn't have cared a whiff if one of _them_ had been killed.

There was one final gunshot heard as the three of them approached the doorway. Nora raised her rifle and paused to look at Danse, who nodded at her in encouragement.

 _'I've got your back,'_ she could practically hear him think.

She nodded back and took a deep breath, then stepped into the next room and pointed her rifle at the figure she saw standing there.

She blinked a couple times, taken aback by what she saw:

A person.

That is - if _this_ was the Courser, he certainly did _not_ look like Nick or the other Institute synths she'd fought so far. He looked... _exactly_ like a perfectly normal man in a long, black trench coat.

She gaped at him for a second, then was shaken out of her shock when the Courser spoke to her, his voice smooth and calm.

"You've been following me. ...Are you here for the synth?"

...The _synth?_ Is _that_ who the captured 'girl' was? A synth like him? Well... maybe not _exactly_ like him, but probably one that looked exactly like a human, like he did.

...Something in Nora suddenly snapped. She felt totally and completely _done_ with everything the Institute was a part of, every life that had been affected because the Institute had its own goal, regardless of other people's lives or the pain that they caused by doing whatever they wanted. Suddenly, she stopped caring about being tactful, and just wanted this damn Courser chip so that she could help bring the Institute down once and for all, _as soon as possible_.

She narrowed her eyes at the Courser, her sarcastic side leaking out.

"Uh... I'm here to pick up an order. Two large pepperoni and a calzone... name is _'Fuck You'_."

She heard a snort and a grunt behind her, and didn't need to guess which noise came from which soldier.

The Courser stared at her, unphased by her vulgarity. "If you're not here for the synth, then you're here for _me_. What do you want?"

She opened her mouth to give another snappy retort, but paused. She saw the vague form of the _other_ synth - the girl - peeking through the slotted window behind the Courser's shoulder. She looked exactly like a real human being, just like the Courser.

So... the Institute really _did_ have the power to create artificial life almost _identical_ to an authentic one...

She mentally shook her head. She could think up all the ways that idea was horrifying _later_ , when she had more time. In the meantime... the synth girl looked genuinely scared as she stared at Nora and the Courser - and it made Nora think of when she first met Nick, trapped in Vault 114 by Skinny Malone and the rest of his stupid gang.

...How could she help Nick and not _her?_

"Just who _is_ this synth, anyway?" she asked the Courser.

He shrugged indifferently. "A fugitive. Runaway Institute property. I'm shutting her down and bringing her back. You, on the other hand, will die like the rest of them." He gestured behind him to the gunners he'd shot earlier.

She narrowed her eyes at him again, deciding she'd heard enough.

"...I need what's in your head," she growled at him, tightening her grip on her laser rifle.

The Courser continued to regard her coolly, but she noticed him reaching for what looked like a box at his side.

"That you cannot have," he said, and after turning a knob on top of the box, seemed to vanish completely.

" _Shit!_ " she heard Brooks hiss behind her. "Stealth Boy!"

 _'Oh crap... Kellogg had one of those too,'_ thought Nora. She squinted and tried to focus as laser rifle fire started raining around the three of them. She tried to watch where the shots came from and caught sight of a spot where the air seemed to shimmer, almost as if looking through a slightly blurry window.

 _"There!"_ she yelled, and fired at the area. She heard a grunt and saw a small splash of blood fly out from seemingly nowhere.

Danse and Brooks quickly picked up on her logic and followed suit, firing at the shimmering air.

"Try to hit the Stealth Boy!" Danse yelled. They tried to stay close to each other for safety, and Nora backed up towards the doorway just in case the Courser tried to escape behind them.

One of them was successful after a few moments, and the Courser popped back into view again. Sparks shot from the box at his side, and he narrowed his eyes at them as he turned to his side and started to raise his weapon.

"Yeah!" Brooks yelled eagerly, and Nora raised her rifle as well.

"Sorry, Courser," she muttered as she aimed at him. "You won't be making it back to the Institute."

The three of them opened fire on the Courser once more, and the shot Nora fired hit the back of his head with a sickening _squelch_. The Courser sank to his knees, then keeled over, his eyes frozen in an empty stare.

There was a heavy pause as the soldiers took a moment to catch their breath.

"...'Picking up an order', huh?" Danse asked her dryly. She turned towards him and chuckled a little.

"I... got cranky," she admitted sheepishly. He shook his head and turned back towards the Courser.

Nora crouched down behind the synth's skull.

"So..." Danse said, " _that's_ the supposedly terrifying Institute Courser? Didn't put up much of a fight. I've killed _ferals_ that were more tenacious."

Brooks removed his helmet with a _hiss_ , took a step forward, and looked down at the synth.

"He looks... so _real_ ," he murmured in disbelief.

"Which is exactly why synths are so _dangerous_ , and why the Institute needs to be stopped before they find a way to _further_ warp and pervert technology," Danse replied. "Now... let's get that chip and have it decrypted as soon as possible."

"Umm... how are we supposed to _get_ it?" Brooks asked uncertainly.

"...Exactly how you _think_ ," Nora lamented, still crouching by the back of the Courser's head. She'd hated retrieving the tech from Kellogg, and it looked like she'd have to do the same at least once more.

Brooks looked revolted. "Ugh... be my guest," he quipped.

"My hero," she said sarcastically. She spotted a small piece of metal embedded in the tissue, and winced as she reached in and pulled it out.

"Blech..." Brooks groaned again. "So _that's_ gonna get us into the Institute?"

"...Ideally," she replied, as she tucked the chip away for safekeeping. "We gotta see if Dr. Amari can take a look at it first."

"Uh... excuse me?"

The three of them turned as a female voice called out timidly.

"...Can someone please let me out of here?"

Their eyes fell on the slotted window, which the girl/other synth was still trapped behind. Nora popped off her helmet, almost having forgotten about her.

Danse took off his helmet as well. "Nora..." he admonished.

She turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "Danse, we can't just _leave_ her in there."

He stepped close to her and lowered his voice. "First of all, it's an ' _it_ ', not a ' _her_ '-" he hissed quietly.

"Danse!" she protested through gritted teeth.

"And _second_ -" he continued, ignoring her, "we don't know anything about it. For all we know, that... _thing_ could attack us the second we unlock the door."

Nora huffed at him. She understood where he was coming from (a _little_ ), but couldn't help feeling slightly hurt considering everything Nick had done to help them thus far.

"I thought we were _past_ this," she muttered quietly to him. His expression flickered for a moment, then he narrowed his eyes again at her.

"Uh... does anyone want to know what _I_ think?" they heard Brooks ask.

" _No_ ," they both replied in unison without breaking their stubborn gazes from each other. They heard a "pfft" as he threw his hands up in the air a little.

"What about _Nick?_ " Nora asked Danse quietly. "I know the Institute is wrong, and shouldn't mess with stuff like this - but _he_ didn't ask to exist any more than _she_ did." She gestured over to the window. "And Nick wouldn't hurt a fly. ...Well okay, he _does_ shoot raiders and gunners like we do... and he _has_ shot bloatflies before..."

He raised an eyebrow, as if she were proving his point.

"But he'd never hurt an innocent person or creature," she quickly added.

"Aaannnd... _who's_ 'Nick'?" Brooks asked, feeling totally out of the loop.

Danse paused for a moment, then sighed heavily. "...I won't destroy it..." he murmured. "...But I'd just as soon _leave_ it there."

Nora pursed her lips, then slowly turned and walked over to the slotted window, where the girl/synth was watching them with sad eyes. Nora regarded her for a second or two.

"...How do I open the door?" she asked softly.

The girl's eyes lit up a little. "The guard put the password in a toolbox over there, under the stairs," she replied. "Use it to gain access to the terminal and open the door."

Nora glanced over her shoulder and spotted the red toolbox under stairs. She walked over to it and opened it, seeing the password written on a scrap piece of paper on top of some other junk. She grabbed it and walked back over to the terminal by the door.

Brooks, meanwhile, had walked up to the window and was peering curiously at the girl inside, while Danse remained where he was, scowling slightly.

" _You're_... a synth?" Brooks asked the girl incredulously. She nodded back, looking between him and Nora anxiously, then cast a nervous glance back at Danse.

"Please... we can talk more when I'm out," she pleaded.

Nora looked up from the terminal. "I got us elevator access, too," she informed the other two. "Now we can just ride to the bottom, instead of backtracking."

"Ohh yes, no more stairs..." Brooks moaned gratefully.

Nora snorted. "Please, Brooks - you're in better shape than _I_ am, and I'm using power armor fitted for someone _else_."

The door popped open as she stepped back from the terminal, and the girl stepped out of the room with a grateful sigh.

"Thank you. I don't know what to say."

Nora smiled softly at her and tried to subtly block Danse from the girl's view, as she saw him tighten his grip on his rifle out of the corner of her eye.

"You don't have to say anything," she replied. "You're welcome."

The girl nodded. "My... Institute designation is K1-98. But... I prefer 'Jenny'. So yes, I'm a synth." She sighed softly. "I knew they'd send a Courser, I just didn't think he'd find me so fast. I think I would have lost him, too - but then I was captured by these... mercenaries. And all _this_ happened. Thanks again for your help."

She stood up a little straighter, realizing that Nora and the others weren't going to hurt her. "I'm going to look for supplies before heading out. And before you ask - no, I don't need any more help. The Commonwealth is unforgiving. I need to make it on my own or I'm dead. Maybe we'll meet again, under better circumstances. I... hope we do."

"Well... best of luck to you then," Nora told her. "Be careful out there."

'Jenny' nodded and hurried past them and out the doorway to scavenge for supplies. There was silence for a moment, then Danse sighed.

"I hope that doesn't come back to bite us in the ass in the future," he drawled quietly.

Brooks raised an eyebrow. "I hope _she_ doesn't come back to bite us in the ass in the future."

Nora was taken aback for a moment - not used to hearing Danse use the word 'ass' before - then rolled her eyes at both of the men.

"I have a lot to teach you _both_ ," she grumbled. "But for now - let's get the hell out of here and get to Goodneighbor. We have to find out if Dr. Amari can help us out with the Courser chip."

* * *

"So this is Goodneighbor... I can't imagine why the Brotherhood avoids this place," Brooks said dryly as they entered the city.

Nora chuckled softly. "It's not _quite_ so bad... once you get used to it," she replied. She heard a " _hmph_ " from Danse but ignored it.

"I just gotta restock on some ammo," she informed the other two, and strolled forward to 'Kill or Be Killed'. The assaultron was behind the desk, as usual.

"Hey K-L-E-0," Nora greeted. "How's business?"

"Booming, baby," K-L-E-0 purred back in 'her' robotic voice. "There's never a shortage of people looking for good weaponry."

Nora heard a snort behind her as Brooks suddenly appeared at her side.

"What in the world..." he murmured. "An _assaultron?_ "

"I'm a _woman_ baby, can't you tell?" K-L-E-0 replied. "Anything that can kill a man, I sell. ...Except suicidal depression - that is unfortunately not packageable."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Riiiiight," he drawled.

Nora smiled and pulled out some caps. "I'm gonna need some more fusion cells, if you got 'em," she told the robot.

After stocking up, she left the store and turned to Brooks. "Give me just one more moment?" she asked. "I just wanna say hi to someone."

He nodded and she headed to the store next to K-L-E-0's - 'Daisy's Discounts', according to the sign above it.

"Hey Daisy! How're you doing?" she asked as she poked her head into the store.

"Nora!" Brooks heard a rough voice croak out. "Come in! It's good to see you again!"

She smiled and stepped into the store. Brooks peeked in behind her, half wondering if there was an assaultron running _this_ store, too... nope. A ghoul. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

She came back out again after a couple minutes of chatting with Daisy and stared at Brooks for a few seconds. He shifted, slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.

"...What?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Nothing, it's just... usually I get some kind of rude comment from Danse by now about 'how dangerous ghouls are', and how they 'shouldn't be allowed to exist', or some junk like that."

It was Brooks' turn to shrug. "I mean... I can understand the logic he's using - to an _extent_ ," he added quickly. "But... as long as they're not feral, and not coming after _me_ , I don't have a particular beef with ghouls. I don't know at what point they might turn feral, or what causes it, so I just usually keep my distance."

Nora relaxed a little. "I think that's at least _somewhat_ reasonable," she smiled softly at him.

"Gee, _thanks_ ," quipped Brooks, and they laughed as they headed back over to Danse, who'd been waiting for them patiently off to the side.

"You don't need anything before we head to the Memory Den?" Nora asked him.

He looked over at her pointedly. "Some of us shoot _wisely_ , so that we don't always need to restock our ammo as often." A hint of a smirk appeared on his face.

Brooks' jaw dropped in amusement. "Ohhhhhh..." he taunted and grinned at Nora, who pouted in mock-annoyance.

"A simple 'no' would have sufficed," she mumbled.

Danse chuckled as she gave him a playful shove and led the way to the Memory Den.

* * *

Dr. Amari was standing in front of a terminal in the back of the main room, and did a double-take as the three soldiers entered.

"You're back!" she exclaimed. "The Glowing Sea... Virgil... what happened?"

Nora cleared her throat. "Do you know anything about decoding Courser chips?"

Dr. Amari blinked in surprise. "A _Courser_ chip? ...You fought a Courser? Oh my God. Unfortunately... I can't help you. I've worked on a lot of synths, but never a _Courser_. I don't know what the chip does, let alone how to decode it..." The three soldiers sighed collectively as she held up a finger. " _But_ \- there are people who _might_. I work with a group that, well... they're the only ones I know that even have a _chance_ at cracking Institute security. They're called the Railroad."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "The Railroad?"

Dr. Amari nodded. "They help synths escape the Institute." This earned a grunt from Danse as she continued. "I don't know who they all are. Usually, an agent of theirs just shows up with someone who needs new memories. One of them gave me a code phrase. Said it would help me find them if there was ever an emergency: 'Follow the Freedom Trail'."

"The 'Freedom Trail'?" Brooks asked. "...What does _that_ mean?"

Nora's eyes lit up. "...The Freedom Trail! I know what that is!"

Danse looked over at her, eyebrows raised. "...You do?"

She nodded. "It's a famous historical Boston landmark. I mean..." she sighed and shrugged. "It _was_... over 200 years ago. Anyway, it's a pathway that goes through downtown Boston that passes by locations that were significant to the history of the United States. It begins at Boston Common."

Dr. Amari nodded. "I'd start there. Hopefully they've placed other clues to tell you where to go after that, hidden in plain sight. That's how they think."

Nora nodded back. "All right. We'll find them."

"Good luck," Dr. Amari replied. "I'm sorry what I have is so cryptic, but hopefully you can figure things out as you go."

The trio started to leave, but then Nora stopped. "Hey, wait..." she said as a thought suddenly occurred to her, and turned back to Dr. Amari.

"By the way - you haven't seen or heard anything new about that weird stranger that was asking you about Danse or me, or the memory loungers, have you?"

Brooks quirked an eyebrow up at this as Dr. Amari blinked.

"To be honest, I completely forgot about that," she confessed. "I haven't seen or heard anything unusual since then. At least - by Goodneighbor's standards, anyway. That stranger hasn't been back since - though he _was_ covered head to toe at that time, so if he came back wearing something _different_ , I hadn't noticed. No one else has been unusually curious about the lounger technology, or you two so far."

"Hmm." Nora's lips pressed together in a firm line. "Okay. Thank you again, Doctor."

Dr. Amari nodded as Nora turned once more and walked up to the other two, who'd stopped shortly after she had.

"Someone was asking about you guys?" Brooks asked, as he, Nora, and Danse headed for the exit.

Danse nodded. "And also intensive questions about the technology here, which is... a bit unsettling, considering the memory loungers can get into one's head. Nora and I will have to try and keep an eye out, just in case."

"...Geez," Brooks murmured quietly. "Hopefully that's the last you guys hear about it."

Nora silently agreed, but... somehow she doubted it _would_ be.

* * *

END NOTES:  
\- Before anyone points it out to me: I just want to say that I'm _aware_ that the Western Elders ideally want Arthur to marry someone and have kids, since he's currently the last Maxson. If it seems like this should be in the back of Arthur's head (therefore stressing about a relationship w/ Nora _less_ ), well... he's only human, and only somewhat recently got a romantic entanglement w/ her off of the ground, so it's not exactly where his mind is right now.  
He's still coming to terms w/ feelings for another woman that he's never really had before (and Sarah Lyons was more 'puppy love'/a mere crush, in my headcanon), and this is all still very new to him. So it's not quite like, 'Oh you - _you'll_ do', lol. And even if he did think of that (I haven't thought that far ahead _YET_ ), I'm sure he'd want to have a firm relationship cemented in w/ Nora first, before pushing her for something like marriage _AND_ kids - _especially_ considering her past, and the present that is yet to be uncovered in the FO4 storyline.  
...Although one _could_ argue that Arthur - who's constantly had 'duty/responsibility' drilled into him his whole life - has a ' _duty_ ' to continue the Maxson name. ...It's all a very rich tapestry, lol.

\- TINY detail: I have no idea what time Arthur would get up in the morning. He IS the Elder, so I assume it would be early. And yes, he's been the Elder far longer than Nora's been around, so he wouldn't rely on _just_ Nora's Pip-Boy to see what time it is, but give the man a break - he just got up, his hormones were flying around due to the previous 'morning activity'... he's not thinking 100% clearly at that exact moment. ;-D

\- I wasn't trying to make the Courser battle TOO easy, but I also didn't want to drag things out too much in this chapter b/c - in hindsight to the _whole_ story I have planned - the Courser battle is kind of more of a 'blip on the radar', so to speak, lol. So yes - in the game, the Courser is a much tougher opponent. But to be fair - even _Danse_ makes a comment IN the game about how easy the battle was when he's your companion, so... it's not totally far-fetched. Besides - I needed a plausible excuse to get the chip out of his head without Nora just hacking a hole back there, lol.

\- "We're vikings - it's an 'occupational hazard'." ...I couldn't resist, lol.


	24. Chapter 24 - Road to Freedom

BEGINNING NOTES:

This chapter is, by FAR, the absolute LONGEST one to date - completely blowing the other chapters out of the water in terms of length. I apologize for the sheer length of it - I just had a hard time breaking it up into two chapters. There's a little more on this at the end of the chapter.

I really hope everyone enjoys this one!

* * *

Nora, Danse, and Brooks exited The Memory Den and were passing by the Third Rail when Nora suddenly froze, staring at the building. Brooks did a double-take and turned to look at her.

"Nora?" he asked, puzzled at the awed look upon her face. "...What is it?"

She continued to stare at the building. "...The Old State House..." she murmured quietly, mostly to herself.

Brooks turned to look at Danse, who'd also stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at her.

"...Something on your mind, soldier?" he inquired.

She blinked and shook her head a little, as if shaken out of her train of thought. "The Old State House!" she repeated. "Of course! _Duh_ , Nora!" She lightly smacked her forehead and turned to the other two men. " _This_ -" she pointed up at the building, "-is one of the spots on the Freedom Trail! Nate and I followed it once."

 _'Follow the Freedom Trail...'_ she thought. _'Hmm...'_ She looked around wildly, trying to see if anything seemed out of place or stood out.

"Dr. Amari said to look for clues hidden in plain sight, because that's how the Railroad thinks," she said.

Not seeing anything in particular, she frowned. Danse and Brooks glanced around as well, but didn't seem to spot anything unusual either.

Danse stepped up to her. "Okay Nora, _think_ \- what do you know about the Freedom Trail?"

She wracked her brain, trying to remember when she and Nate had followed it so many years ago. She took a deep breath as she thought.

"Well..." she said slowly, "like I said before, the trail starts at the Boston Common - or what's _left_ of it. There has to be _some_ way to still follow it, even with all of the rubble and destruction after 200 years, because how _else_ would anyone ever find the Railroad? ...That's it!" she grinned as a thought suddenly hit her. Her eyes snapped to the ground, and her head turned this way and that as she seemed to be searching the ground around the building.

"... _What's_ it?" she heard Brooks ask curiously.

She looked up at him. "The Freedom Trail is marked by a _specific_ line of red bricks that lead _right_ to each of the locations on it, followed by a metal seal with 'The Freedom Trail' marked on it. Maybe if we follow the bricks - if they're still _intact_ , that is - it will give us some sort of clue."

She looked up at the building again, then pursed her lips a little. "I think we need to exit Goodneighbor for this one."

She headed towards the settlement exit, Brooks and Danse in tow behind her. Once outside, she looked up at the building again, then looked down and examined the sidewalk. She sighed softly, trying to concentrate.

"I'll tell ya... this was a lot different-looking over 200 years ago," she murmured. She glanced down the street casually, then did a double-take.

"There!" she said excitedly, pointing a little ways down from the main entrance of Goodneighbor. She darted away and Danse's eyes widened as he spotted the line of bricks leading to a metal seal on the ground.

She stopped in front of the seal and looked down at it, Danse and Brooks moving to stand on either side of her and mirroring her perspective.

"'The Freedom Trail'..." Danse read off of the seal. "You were right, Nora! Outstanding work, soldier!"

She beamed for a moment as Brooks looked at her in amusement.

"...You. Huge. Nerd." he teased, which made Nora laugh.

He looked back down at the seal again and squinted. "Hey, look," he remarked, and crouched down for a closer look, Nora and Danse following suit.

There was a '6' painted in the middle of the seal on the logo, and an arrow pointing to the letter directly above the painted number - the 'O' in the word 'Freedom'.

"Six... and 'O'..." Nora mused out loud. "...What do you think _that_ means?"

"Hey, don't look at me - _you're_ the history nerd," joked Brooks. She smacked him playfully on his arm and Danse shook his head in puzzlement.

"I'm not sure... but I have a feeling if we find those other seals, we might find a clue that'll lead us forward," he speculated.

Nora and Brooks nodded.

"Let's head to Boston Common," Nora suggested. "Since the Freedom Trail _starts_ there, maybe there will be something _else_ there that will give us a hand."

The other two men nodded, and they headed off together.

* * *

At the first location of the Freedom Trail at Boston Common, the three of them found a similar type of marking on the seal there - a '7' painted on it, with an arrow pointing to the 'A' in the word 'Trail'. There was also a sign in front of the seal - a flat piece of wood with blue letters painted on it - stating 'At Journey's End Follow Freedom's Lantern'.

"Seven and 'A'... definitely a code of some sort," concluded Danse.

"...'At journey's end'? Hmm," murmured Nora. "The trail _does_ go up to Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution... but the sign doesn't say ' _Trail's_ ' end, it says ' _Journey's_ ' end... maybe it doesn't follow the _entire_ Trail." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Well - only one way to know for _sure_."

* * *

The trio moved from location to location, taking note of the clues on the seals as they came across them (whilst also fighting feral ghouls, raiders, and super mutants along the way). Not _every_ site on the trail had a marked seal, however... just the Massachusetts State House, the Old Granary Burying Ground (and of course, the Old State House outside of Goodneighbor, which they quickly skimmed over), the Old Corner Bookstore, Faneuil Hall, and the Paul Revere House. Finally, they arrived at the Old North Church.

"One and 'R'..." Brooks said, reading the seal. "Hmm. The trail _seems_ to end right at the church."

Danse raised an eyebrow as he pointed towards the doorway of the building. " 'At Journey's End Follow Freedom's Lantern'..." he added, remembering the sign near the Boston Common seal. To the right of the door, a white lantern was painted on the brick wall.

Nora was quiet for a second, then her eyes slowly lit up. "Ohh... Freedom's Lantern! The Old North Church! Urgh, of course... it's so simple!"

Danse and Brooks raised an eyebrow at her, so she quickly explained.

"Dr. Amari said the Railroad likes to leave clues hidden in plain sight. 'One if by land, two if by sea' - Paul Revere had told some Boston patriots to hang two lanterns in THIS church steeple to warn other patriots across the river about the movements of the British army. The Railroad... there's a good chance that they're _here_. At any rate, we should check inside and see if there's any more clues in there."

The other two nodded as they headed into the building. As they cautiously made their way past the entryway, Danse made ready his laser rifle.

"Weapons hot," he murmured quietly. "We don't know _what_ to expect in here."

Nora and Brooks nodded as they mimicked Danse's actions. The three of them stepped out into the main part of the church and swung around as they heard a shuffling noise - a feral ghoul, followed by another, started running towards them.

They made short work of the two ghouls, then Brooks pointed at something off to the right.

"Hey - it's another lantern."

Nora and Danse turned, and sure enough - another white lantern was painted on the wood above another doorway against the wall.

"Hmm. 'Follow freedom's lantern'," Nora recited, and the trio went through the doorway to follow a corridor around a corner and down a couple flights of stairs.

They entered another passageway - this one completely lined with bricks, reminding Nora of an old colonial basement of some kind. As soon as they turned a corner, another white lantern painted on the wall waited to greet them.

They followed the catacombs around a couple more corners (dispatching one more feral ghoul along the way), until they finally reached a lantern painted on the ground in front of another 'Freedom Trail' seal - this one on the wall, with a wire of some sort sticking out from it and leading into the brick wall behind it. A small red arrow pointed upwards on the seal, and upon closer inspection Nora realized the letters on the circle around the logo on the seal were able to be moved, almost like...

"I think... it's designed like some sort of combination lock," she surmised.

"Those letters and numbers... the code we got from the other seals," Danse realized. "They must be the combination to get in."

After putting the numbers in order, the three realized the seals' letters spelled out...

...'RAILROAD'.

There was a long period of silence from all of them.

"The password... is ' _RAILROAD_ '?" Brooks asked in disbelief, annoyance clear in his voice. "Are you freaking _kidding_ me?! After _ALL_ the work we did - especially after dealing with all we did at Greentech Genetics - and we finally get here, and the password is ' _RAILROAD_ '?! That's like making the password 'password'!"

Nora sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose between her eyes. She had to admit she was a bit frustrated at the turn of events herself. They still had yet to get inside, true - but she _did_ feel a bit jerked around.

Danse didn't look especially amused either. He sighed and gestured his head towards the seal in front of them.

"Let's just keep going," he commanded. "The sooner we're done _here_ , the sooner we can all get back to the Prydwen and plan our next step against the Institute."

Nora nodded and stepped up to the seal. She moved the letters on the seal around to match each of the letters in 'RAILROAD', hearing a metallic-sounding mechanism from behind the wall each time a letter fell in line with the arrow pointing upwards. As soon as the 'D' was matched into place, the wall in front of the lantern painted on the ground slid to the right, revealing another brick passageway.

She took a deep breath as she tightened her grip on her laser rifle and slowly headed inside with the other two men.

A short distance in, the passage turned dark as night. Nora considered turning on the flashlight in her Pip-Boy, when suddenly a floodlight turned on.

"Stop right there," a strong female voice boomed.

When their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw three people blocking the path in front of them. One was a young woman with darker skin and short white hair, pointing a minigun right at them. The woman standing in the middle had chin-length red hair and looked middle-aged. Finally, a man in a blue jacket and a newsboy cap stood off to the right, holding a shotgun aimed right for Nora's chest.

The woman standing in the middle narrowed her eyes at the three soldiers suspiciously.

"You went through a lot of effort to arrange this meeting. But before we go any further, answer my questions. Who the hell _are_ you?"

Nora raised an eyebrow at her. "Why don't you tell me who _you_ are first?" she challenged back.

The woman regarded Nora, Brooks, and Danse carefully for a moment before speaking.

"In a world full of treachery, suspicion, and hunters - we're the synths' only friends. We're the Railroad. So answer _my_ question."

Nora nodded slightly. "We followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. We're _not_ your enemy."

 _'...Not right_ _now_ _,_ _anyway,'_ she thought.

The woman seemed to smirk a little at that. "If that's _true_ , you have nothing to fear," she said. "Who told you how to contact us?"

"Dr. Amari did," Nora told her.

"Very interesting," the woman replied. "Last question. Why are you here?"

Nora's eyes flitted to a shadow moving behind the Railroad agents - someone else seemed to be watching them as well. "We tracked down and killed a Courser at Greentech Genetics," she responded. "Now we need help breaking the code on his Courser chip."

The redhead's eyes widened. "You have _what?_ ...This is not a joking matter."

The other person finally stepped into the light beside the redhead, revealing a man in a white t-shirt, sunglasses, and dark hair.

"Whoa. Now _that_ is some armor," he commented, staring at the three soldiers. "Check out those hydraulics..." He turned to the redhead. "I didn't know we were having a party," he said to her in a joking tone. "What gives with _my_ invitation? "

He shifted his face back towards Nora and the others. "...I see you invited the Courser-killers. _Nice_."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. "Deacon. You're late. I need intel. Who is this?"

The man - Deacon - grinned at Nora. "News flash, boss - this lady is kind of a big deal out there. If you're done interrogating her, you might wanna show this Courser-murdering machine a little courtesy. Just a thought."

The redhead widened her eyes again. "You're saying these intruders actually _killed_ a Courser? Hmm... that'd give even _Glory_ a run for her money."

Nora glanced over at Danse and Brooks - who both raised an eyebrow back at her. They'd _just_ killed the Courser earlier that day. How could he possibly have known that?

She looked back at Deacon again. "Uh... do we know each other?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I didn't need to meet you to hear about you. You've made waves. A _lot_ of people know about you. You know, you're practically _famous_. You're the one rebuilding the Minutemen out of Sanctuary, right?"

He looked over at the redhead. "Dez, seriously - you haven't heard of her? She's the leader of the Minutemen. And Nick Valentine was in a jam - as usual - but word is she bailed him out _and_ talked her way past Skinny Malone, too."

Nora heard Brooks suck in a breath behind her. "... _Leader_ of the Minutemen?" he whispered curiously.

She smiled sheepishly at him and shrugged. "It's... a long story," she murmured.

Deacon looked back at Nora and went on. "The Railroad also owes you a crate - hell a _truckload_ of Nuka-Cola for what you did to Kellogg. He was our public enemy number one. And as if _that_ wasn't enough-" he gestured towards Danse and Brooks, "-the Brotherhood of Steel let you into their ranks. That's a hell of thing, there. Dez, _she's_ the one that cleared Fort Strong for the Brotherhood. She's one of their main knights or something."

Nora sputtered for a moment, her face beginning to turn a little pink in bashfulness.

"Hey, I didn't do that _alone_ ," she insisted. "There _were_ other soldiers there _too_ \- Danse, for one." She jerked a thumb back at the Paladin, who grunted a bit over her shoulder. "And I wouldn't say I'm one of their _main_ Knights..."

"She's also in good standing with Elder Maxson, the _leader_ of the Brotherhood," Deacon interrupted, ignoring Nora.

He grinned devilishly. "I mean, they're on... 'pretty friendly terms', if you know what I mean."

Brooks snorted loudly as Nora's eyes widened, her face immediately turning bright red in embarrassment.

" _Hey!_ " she protested indignantly.

"I _knew_ it," Brooks muttered to himself.

Danse narrowed his eyes at Brooks and cleared his throat in a reprimanding manner.

Nora's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Deacon. Just who the hell _was_ this guy?

"What are you, _stalking_ me?!" she hissed at him.

The redhead - Dez, Deacon had called her - ignored her and turned to look at Deacon, her expression thoughtful. "So... you're vouching for her?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Trust me, she's _definitely_ someone we want on _our_ side. Dez, we _need_ to let her in. She's got an intact Courser Chip, for God's sake."

Dez turned to Nora.

"I owe you an apology. Anyone who kills a Courser is good in my book. ...I'm Desdemona, and I'm the leader of the Railroad." She made a gesture with her hand, and the two agents beside her finally lowered their weapons. "We're letting you all into our headquarters. You're the first outsiders ever to be given this privilege. We'll discuss the details about your chip inside."

With that, she turned and headed further into the passageway and around a corner, the other two agents following behind her. Deacon turned back to them and grinned apologetically.

"Hope you didn't mind the reception," he said. "When you tango with the Institute, you gotta be careful when someone _new_ gets on the dance floor."

Nora pursed her lips a little as she thought for a second.

"Well... your leader was just being cautious. I suppose I can understand that, myself."

"Caution can often be misinterpreted as hostility," Danse added. "I've seen it happen before."

Deacon nodded. "Exactly. Kind of killed our chance at a friendly first impression, though. But it's all good now. I vouched for you, nobody got shot. Still... I would consider it a close, personal favor if you didn't sell us out to the Institute. Thanks."

"The Institute is _no_ friend of the Brotherhood's, trust us," Brooks told him dryly.

"So, tell me... why _did_ you vouch for me?" Nora asked him curiously. "And... how did you know _so_ much about me?" She raised an eyebrow as if to add, _'...And you know_ _exactly_ _what I'm referring to.'_

He smiled at her. "In our little outfit, it's _my_ job to know things. And with everything you've done, it's _clear_ you're capable. A dangerous enemy. And - I'm betting - a valuable ally."

She pondered this for a moment. "But why the trust?" she asked. "You can't be taking it _all_ on faith."

He nodded back. "I don't know if we can trust you... but I _hope_ we can. We just survived a hell of a crisis, so we may be just a teeny, weeny bit desperate for help. If everything was sunshine and bottle caps, we'd probably play a longer 'getting to know you' game... but we don't have that luxury."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Reeaaally? Is that _all_?"

Deacon chuckled softly. "You just don't give up... all right. I have a short list of people I think would be a good fit for our family. You piqued my interest, so... maybe I asked around. Did my homework. If you hadn't found _us_ , there's a chance _I_ would have found _you_ instead. Thanks for saving me the trip."

He suddenly seemed to notice the absence of the others.

"But we can talk a little bit more about this later," he said. "For now, let's help you get that chip decoded."

He led the three of them further back into the passageway, around the corner, and behind a wooden door. Desdemona - 'Dez' - was waiting for them on the other side.

"Decoding a Courser chip is a very delicate operation," she told them. She turned and walked further into the Railroad headquarters, Nora and the others following behind her.

The basement of the Old North Church had several desks and terminals around, and a few Railroad agents warily eyed the Brotherhood soldiers as they passed by.

"A million things can go wrong - the least of which is losing the data. Fortunately, we have the right man for the job."

She stopped and turned to look at Nora, Danse, and Brooks again.

"First things first, though. If we're going to be dealing with you, I need to make sure we're on the same page. You're all with the Brotherhood of Steel, so I'm sure you know what a synth is, right?"

Nora nodded. "Yeah, we know all about them."

Dez nodded back. "Good. The Institute treats synths as property. As _tools_."

Brooks scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. "Aren't synths just machines? And machines _are_ tools..."

Dez nodded again patiently. "They started that way. But if it's impossible to tell a _single_ difference between a synth and a human, they must be treated the same. The Institute... they're playing god. Tinkering with things they don't fully understand. From that lofty vantage, it's easy to deny their creation's very humanity. But synths - they think, they feel, they dream, and they act _just_ like you and me. So we seek to free the synths from their bondage. Give them a chance at a real life."

She narrowed her eyes a little at them, then stared primarily at Nora.

"I have a question," she said. "The only question that matters. Would you risk your life for your fellow man? Even if that man is a _synth?_ "

Nora practically felt Danse stiffen behind her and gritted her teeth a little as she thought for a moment.

For _Nick_ she would (and _had_ ). On the other hand, they _had_ killed a Courser earlier today. ...But that was no different than them killing a raider or a gunner, right? She took a deep breath.

"It depends on the circumstances," she replied.

When Dez raised an eyebrow, she went on.

"Well... just like there's good and bad people out there, it stands to reason that there's good and bad _synths_." She turned to look at Deacon. "You mentioned Nick earlier. He's... my friend. He's been a lot of help to me, stuck his neck out for me _more_ than once... and he didn't _have_ to. I wouldn't have gotten this far without his help. And as you probably know, he's not even a _Gen 3_ synth. So..." she turned back to Dez. "Would I risk my life for a synth? ...If they were someone like _Nick_... yeah, I probably would."

Brooks raised an eyebrow at her words.

 _'Wait..._ _that_ _Nick?'_ he wondered, recalling her conversation with Danse back at Greentech Genetics, before she'd freed the trapped synth girl. _'So... this Nick is_ _also_ _a synth - and not even a Gen 3 like the Courser, or that other girl! Huh...'_ He was curious and made a mental note to ask Nora about it later.

Dez stared at Nora briefly. After a couple seconds, a hint of a smile crossed her face.

"Hmm. Well said," she replied, sounding satisfied. She turned and began walking forwards again, leading them over to an eccentric-looking, dark-skinned young man in overalls, with some kind of odd scope on his head.

He grinned when he saw Dez approaching him. "Heyyy Dez, you need something?" he asked cheerily.

Dez nodded and gestured back towards Nora and the others. "Tom. Our visitor here has a Courser chip."

Tom's eyes widened, and he suddenly looked excited. "Whoa! For real? Oh man, it's been _ages!_ "

Dez turned to Nora, suddenly looking serious (well... more serious that she _had_ looked in the last couple minutes).

"Right. Some ground rules," she said. "Tom can get you the code - but once he's done, _we_ get the Courser chip."

Nora saw both Danse _and_ Brooks stiffen at that, and she was instantly on edge.

"Why do you want the Courser chip?" she asked.

"Institute tech is light years beyond what we have, and a Courser chip is top of the line," Dez explained. "I'm not going to get into details... but that chip could help us save lives. Maybe throw a wrench in some of the Institute's operations. So - hand over the chip."

Nora shifted uncomfortably. "...I don't know..." she said hesitantly. "I mean... what if I need the chip later?"

Dez narrowed her eyes. "This _isn't_ a negotiation," she said stiffly. "This is a demand. To anybody else in the Commonwealth, all you have is two caps worth of _salvage_. With _us_ , that data is _priceless_. But we're not just going to _give_ that away. So - do we have a deal?"

Nora peeked at Danse out of the corner of her eye. His mouth had formed a tight, thin line, and he definitely looked less than amused. She took a deep breath and sighed, feeling backed into a corner.

She was sure Ingram and/or Kells wouldn't be thrilled that she didn't get the chip back, and she _definitely_ didn't relish telling _Arthur_ that she'd been forced to relinquish it... but it was looking like they had _no_ other choice, if they wanted the chip decoded at _all_.

She sighed again and nodded reluctantly as she produced the chip and held it in an outstretched palm.

"...Fine. It's yours."

Dez nodded as she took it and handed it over to Tom. "All right. Tom - make it happen."

Tom grinned as he took it and headed over to his terminal. "All right little Courser chip," he said eagerly, "let's have the circuit analyzer take a crack at you."

He tinkered with his equipment for a moment, then began typing furiously at the terminal.

"We're in!" He said after a few seconds. "Chip accessed. Just poke the analog connectors a little. ...What? Oh man, d-don't crash, hold it together... memory hiccup... here it comes. Encryption algorithms... all right, we're still running."

He sighed in concentration as he continued typing and muttering to himself. "Oh man... they added more decimals to the last cipher. This is gonna be... c'mon baby, show me that pattern. Where is it? Wait... they're using the same logarithmic function as the key generator. Oh man, we got lucky."

He started smiling a little, his eyes lighting up suddenly. "I got you, you institute bastard, I got you. Solve for N... come on, show me that sweet base number. C'mon baby ...and we got it! We got the code! Hahaha! Let me load that onto a holotape for ya." He grinned and grabbed a blank tape beside him.

Dez smiled lightly. "Good work, Tom."

He looked up at her. "Not sure our luck will hold up _next_ time, Dez."

She nodded, her face growing serious once more. "Start working on the rest of the chip."

"And you -" she turned to Nora and paused. She seemed to contemplate her next words very carefully.

"...I am aware of how the Brotherhood normally regards synths. If what Deacon said is true... under the circumstances - _your_ circumstances - perhaps it might be best if you kept your distance from us. Not for our sake - but for _yours_."

Nora nodded somberly. "I understand. Thank you... for everything. You and Tom have been a tremendous help, and I won't soon forget it."

Dez nodded and a hint of a smile crossed her face. "You certainly made an impression on Deacon. He's never spoken about, or lied about, anyone so highly before."

As Nora turned to look at the others, she blinked as she realized that Deacon had vanished. She heard a slight chuckle from Dez.

"Yeah... he does that sometimes," she remarked dryly. She then narrowed her eyes a little at Danse and Brooks. "I know it goes against what you've been taught... but synths are _not_ your enemy. They are victims in this war, as well."

Danse made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, and Brooks nodded politely.

"Well... after everything I've seen today, you've all given me something to think about," he replied.

Dez smirked, then looked back at Nora. "One last thing, just to be crystal clear - if you use that data and discover anything involving the Institute, you share it with us. I'm... not naive enough to implore you to share it with us _first_ , given your relationship with... _the Brotherhood_..."

She gave Nora a pointed look, which caused Nora to turn red again as she continued.

"However... I do hope you'll be grateful enough for our assistance that you'll keep us in the loop for any information that can bring the Institute down."

Nora cleared her throat anxiously and nodded. " 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend', right?" she asked Des with a slight smile.

Des paused, then smiled back. "Precisely," she replied.

Nora blinked. "Wait... how would I even _give_ you any information if I'm supposed to keep my distance from you?"

"Deacon," Desdemona answered simply. "Don't worry - when he wants to find you, he'll find you."

Nora nodded again. "Well... I guess that's it, then." She looked at Danse and Brooks. "We should report back to the Prydwen, let Elder Maxson know about our progress."

Danse nodded and Brooks got a strange expression on his face.

"Yeah, I bet you just can't wait to get back there to 'report to the Elder'," he retorted, fighting keep a straight face.

Danse and Nora both narrowed their eyes at him, and Nora punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh shut up," she spat, and Brooks snorted, his eyes beginning to water.

"Move out Knight," Danse sighed, shaking his head. Brooks snickered as he obeyed, following the Paladin to the exit. Nora huffed and looked back at Dez, who had watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow.

"He's... a good soldier, really," Nora insisted.

"Mm-hmm," Dez responded skeptically.

Nora held out a hand. "Well... seriously, thank you again."

Dez paused, then reached out and shook her hand in return. "Best of luck," she said. "I hope that information can help you."

Nora started to turn away, then stopped. "Desdemona -" she said, addressing her one last time, "...I meant what I said before. Nick is a very good friend to me. I really _do_ care about him. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him."

Dez was silent for a moment. "You're... not like the other Brotherhood soldiers," she responded, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Maybe..." She stopped, then cleared her throat a little. "I hope you remember that compassion when your comrades _don't_ ."

Nora nodded. "I'm... working on it," she said. "It's... an evolving world. Maybe they just need to see things from a different point of view."

Dez seemed to consider that for a few seconds, then gave Nora a delicate but genuine smile.

"Good luck then," she said softly.

* * *

Deacon was waiting for the three of them in the open entryway before the Railroad headquarters, where they'd first encountered the agents.

"So," he began. "I guess you'll probably be heading back to the Glowing Sea now?" He gave Nora a knowing smile.

Nora just stared at him. "...How do you _do_ that?" she asked him - a mix of awe, confusion, and annoyance in her voice.

His smile turned into a grin as he tapped the side of his nose. "It's my _job_ to know things, remember?"

She pursed her lips, not sure she was crazy about that.

Danse definitely did not like that. "There's something you're keeping from us... 'Deacon'. If I find out what it is, and I don't like it, there will be hell to pay," he threatened.

"Well - good thing I have nothing to hide, then," Deacon replied cheerily.

Danse grunted, not liking the agent's flippant attitude. "Let's move out, soldiers," he said dryly, and headed out of the passageway. Brooks nodded politely at Deacon, who returned the gesture, then walked out after Danse.

"...A little piece of advice," Deacon murmured to Nora after a moment's pause. "The Brotherhood is nothing if not arrogant. _Danse_ seems like a stand-up guy, sure - but there are a _lot_ of assholes in your organization, too. The Brotherhood's history hasn't always been pretty... just watch that it doesn't repeat itself."

Nora stared at him for a few seconds, her eyebrows raised. "...Why are you telling me all this?" she asked him curiously.

He gave her a small smile. "Because you're not like the rest of them. You're... different." He paused, then grinned mischievously. "Maybe that's why the Elder likes you so much."

She blushed and narrowed her eyes a little. "So... how much did you _see_ , exactly?" she asked him warily.

His grin seemed to grow even wider. "... _Enough_ ," he replied coyly. "...Enough to know that you're not just some passing fancy to him."

Her face felt like it was burning. It couldn't be possible... almost no one in the _Brotherhood_ knew about her and Arthur. So how did _he_ _?_ The _only_ place they'd shown any affection to each other was aboard the Prydwen or at the airport, when she'd been in the med bay.

...Ohhh... _and_ -

"...Sanctuary," she murmured, somewhat to herself. She shook her head and scowled at him. "You were spying on us by the vault in Sanctuary?"

Deacon shrugged, still grinning like the cat who ate the canary. "I go to a _lot_ of places," he drawled, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. "I can't remember them all."

 _'Liar,'_ thought Nora. She sighed and shook her head again.

"Well... thank you for the heads up. I... have a good thing going with the Brotherhood - not just because of _that_ -" she added quickly when Deacon smirked, "-but... there are good people there." Her mind flew to Brooks, Grace, Paladins Williams and Brandis, Womack and Petris. She smiled softly. "Maybe you don't always get to _see_ them... but they're there."

He looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded. "All right... I hope you know what you're doing. If you ever change your mind, though... the Railroad _needs_ agents like you. Hell - the Railroad needs _you_. In the meantime - if you get any good information on the Institute, keep me in the loop. Don't worry-" he interjected when she opened her mouth, "-I'll find _you_."

"That's... a bit unsettling," she drawled, which made Deacon chuckle. "But... okay. Can you just... _try_ to keep your nose out of my _personal_ affairs, though?"

"...I make no promises," Deacon smiled, causing her to grumble.

* * *

She met the other two men outside.

"Ready to go?" Danse asked. She made a sheepish face and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Let me guess..." he said, a slight teasing tone to his voice. " 'One _more_ thing'?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but Danse held up a hand. "No no, let me guess again. We just went to Sanctuary, so it must be... Diamond City. You want to pay a visit to Piper and Valentine, to fill them in on what's been happening since they last saw you." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Am I correct?"

Nora stared at him for a few seconds, her mouth hanging open. She raised her own eyebrows as she looked over at Brooks and shrugged. "...The man knows me," she admitted with a smile.

Brooks scoffed and shook his head. "Of course he does. If it weren't for Maxson, I'd swear you two were already _married_."

Nora and Danse both blushed a little but chuckled.

Brooks sighed softly and ran a hand through his brown hair. "And I suppose we'll have to _walk_ there instead of taking a vertibird, am I right?"

Nora snorted. "It's only an hour's walk, Brooks. I know we've kinda had a long day, but it's not responsible to use the vertibirds for short distances."

Brooks looked at Danse incredulously. "God... she's turning into _you!_ " Danse raised an eyebrow and Brooks backpedaled quickly. "Er... not that there's anything _wrong_ with that... Paladin," he quickly added.

Nora laughed, and even Danse couldn't help a hint of a smirk from appearing on his face. Maybe Nora _had_ rubbed off on him a little, but Brooks was right - he had started rubbing off on _her_ as well. The thought made him smile.

She nudged Brooks' shoulder. "Would it sweeten the deal if I buy you a bowl of Power Noodles? They're supposed to be the _best_ noodles in the Commonwealth..."

 _That_ perked Brooks right up. "Weeelllllll... you drive a hard bargain, but - okay," he grinned. "I can't turn down a good meal, especially when it's _free_."

She laughed and Danse shook his head with a small smile.

"Maybe you could even show Brooks 'your place' there," he said to her, fighting to keep a straight face.

She stuck her tongue out at him and Brooks raised his eyebrows.

"Your what? You have a 'place'?"

She shook her head as she started walking in the direction of the city. "It's nothing really," she shrugged. "Just a place to sleep when I'm in the area."

"It's a tenement with a bed," Danse quipped to Brooks quietly.

"Hey!" Nora pouted as she turned to them. "I can work to stop the Institute, or I can _decorate._ Which do you feel is more important?"

Both men snickered a little as they followed Nora towards Diamond City.

* * *

They received a few raised eyebrows from the Diamond City guards as they tromped by in their power armor, but they nodded politely when they recognized Nora. Brooks' eyes widened when they exited the tunnel to enter the city.

"Woahhh..." he murmured in wonder, as his eyes darted around at the different buildings and structures. "So this is Diamond City..."

Nora smiled at him. "You should have seen it when it was just a baseball stadium," she said. "I think you would've liked baseball. Just... don't ask Moe Cronin about it." She pointed a hand at his storefront. "He doesn't know the _first_ thing about the sport, despite what he'd have you believe."

Danse chuckled softly beside her. "I don't think he's been a huge fan of yours since you put him in his place," he said, recalling their conversation during a previous visit.

She huffed indignantly. "Served him right! His facts were so screwed up, he made baseball look like a bloodsport. Feh."

Brooks raised an eyebrow at her and grinned as the trio began descending the stairs. "You, arguing about a pre-war sport with someone who didn't know just how old you _really_ are? _That_ I'd pay to see."

She pouted slightly. "Hey - for all intents and purposes, I'm still only 24. That other number is a _technicality_."

Brooks laughed and shook his head.

They'd just gotten to the bottom of the stairs into the city when they suddenly heard a young girl's voice call out to them.

"Hey Mister! Free paper to newcomers! If the Institute grabs you in the night, at least we warned you."

They turned towards 'Publick Occurrences', the headquarters of Piper's newspaper. Her younger sister Nat was standing on a box outside, waving a newspaper towards Brooks. She blinked when she recognized Nora.

"Oh, it's _you_. Piper's not here, if you're looking for her. I think she's at Mr. Valentine's office right now."

Nora nodded at her. "Thanks Nat."

Brooks smiled at the girl and reached out for a paper, but blinked when Nat yanked it back suddenly. "Hey!" he protested.

Nat scowled back at him. "You're with her. _She's_ not a newcomer. Full price for a paper - they're not gonna print _themselves_ , ya know."

" _Nat_ ," Nora chided gently, but Brooks just snickered.

He pulled out a few caps and held them out to her. "You've got spunk, kid... I like that," he teased. "Here ya go." She took his caps gratefully.

"Hey, thanks Mister," she said. "I guess you're alright too." Brooks laughed as he took the paper from her.

"You know... you _still_ owe Piper that interview!" Nat called after Nora as they walked away. Nora pursed her lips but turned to wave goodbye to her.

Brooks glanced at Nora, an amused expression on his face. "...Interview?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "My friend Piper... she's Nat's older sister, the only reporter for 'Publick Occurrences'," she explained. "Since finding out about my whole... _past_ -" she waved a hand in the air, "- she's been on at me about doing an interview for her paper. Said it was 'time Diamond City had a little outside perspective on the Commonwealth'."

"What, you don't wanna be famous?" Brooks teased. "Well... _more_ famous..." his mind drifted back to Deacon, listing all of Nora's accomplishments back at the Railroad.

She grunted and shook her head. "I have _enough_ to worry about right now," she said dryly.

She led them to the door of the Valentine Detective Agency and turned to Brooks.

"So... as I'm sure you know by now, Nick is a synth - and _not_ a Gen 3 synth, like Jenny or that Courser we killed," she said to him.

Brooks raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... I've been _meaning_ to ask you about that," he said slowly.

Her mouth formed a tight line. "His appearance is mainly that of a Gen 2, but he's _just_ as intelligent as you or I," she told him. "Just... _please_ try to keep an open mind when you see him."

Her eyes flicked over to Danse before she could stop herself, and she heard a small ' _hmph_ ' from the Paladin.

Brooks scoffed a little. "Well as long as he doesn't attack any of us, I'm not going to shoot him in the face if _that's_ what you're worried about." He paused as a thought struck him and turned to Danse - his expression an odd mix of horror and amusement. "Oh... tell me you _didn't_..."

Danse scowled at him as Nora sighed. "Our first visit to Goodneighbor," she murmured.

Brooks just stood there for a few seconds, then covered his mouth as he burst into laughter.

"Oh man, I wish I could've seen it," he cackled, then instantly sobered when Nora scowled at him as well. "...Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

She pursed her lips at him and huffed. "Honestly... I don't know which of you is worse sometimes," she grumbled as she pushed the office door open.

As her eyes adjusted to the lighting inside the office, she saw Nick sitting at his desk, Piper standing next to it.

Nora's smile quickly returned when his glowing yellow eyes shifted from Piper to her. "Nora!" he greeted with a smile, rising from his chair as Piper turned to look at her.

"Hey Blue!" she called out cheerfully, and stepped forward with Nick. "You've got good timing, we were just wondering about you!" She smiled and nodded at the Paladin behind her. "Hey Danse!"

"Piper," he greeted, returning her nod. His eyes shifted to the synth beside her. "Valentine," he acknowledged tersely.

"Danse," Nick responded coolly, tapping his fedora.

Piper and Nora rolled their eyes at each other and smiled.

"Hey, they've moved from titles to last names - this is progress!" Piper teased. Nora laughed as both the Paladin and the detective frowned. "Anyway, we haven't heard from you guys since before you went to the Glowing Sea," Piper continued. "You have to tell us all about it! What happened? What's happened _since_ then?

"Uhh…" Nora trailed off, not quite sure where to begin.

 _'Well, Danse and I found a group of Children of the Atom living in the blast crater -_ _without_ _protection from all the radiation. They adapted to it somehow. Then we almost got attacked by an alpha deathclaw. We found Dr. Virgil hiding in a cave, and guess what? He turned himself into a super mutant! He told us he'll help us if we get a serum from his office INSIDE the Institute that could make him human again. He also told us we needed to kill a Courser for its chip and build a teleporter._

 _We DID get attacked by the same alpha deathclaw once we tried to leave the Glowing Sea. I would have died if not for Danse, which I guess is just as well because he would have died earlier if not for ME. We BOTH would have died out there if Elder Maxson and some other soldiers hadn't seen our vertibird signal and gotten us out of there in JUST the nick of time. We were unconscious for a bit, but both got better._

 _Today we killed the Courser and a bunch of Gunners, freed another synth, followed the Freedom Trail, discovered the Railroad, bargained with them to decode the chip, got the info on a holotape, and came here - and it's not even dinner time yet._

 _So now, me, Danse, and Brooks are- ...what... what the hell is Brooks doing?'_

Nora blinked and did a double-take as she realized that Brooks had wandered past her and was gaping at Nick. He craned his head slowly to examine each side of Nick's face and neck - especially where 'skin' was missing, and his inner mechanisms were visible.

Nick raised his faded eyebrows at Brooks. "Can... I help you with something there, sonny?"

Brooks blinked and immediately straightened up. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I've just... never seen a synth like you before. I mean, I've seen Gen 2 synths - but I've never really seen anything like... _you_."

"Hmm. Funny - I was just starting to think the same thing about _you_ ," Nick replied dryly. "Nora... are you going to introduce your, uh... 'friend' here?"

Her face reddened a little. "Nick, I'm sorry. He's just- _Brooks_!" She hissed the last part as she glanced over at the soldier, who was now poking a finger curiously into a space in the side of Nick's neck.

Nick narrowed his eyes and batted Brooks' hand away. "Hey! Do I stick my hand into _your_ orifices?" he protested crossly.

"Er... sorry," Brooks said timidly.

Piper snorted and bit her lip to hide her laughter as Nick swiveled his head around to glare at her.

"Uh... and _you_ are...?" she asked Brooks curiously.

Brooks straightened up once more. "Oh! Uh..." He held out his hand to her without thinking. "Knight Matthew Brooks, a friend of Nora's."

Piper raised an eyebrow and smirked a little. "Nice to meet you, but uh... with all due respect - I'm gonna postpone the handshake until you're out of the metal exoskeleton. I have a feeling your armored hand versus mine wouldn't end well for me _or_ the bones in my hand."

Brooks blinked in surprise, forgetting he was still in his power armor. "Oh! R-right, my mistake, sorry."

He quickly withdrew his hand again, his face turning slightly pink. Nora might have chuckled at that - if she wasn't already busy hiding her face in her hands, feeling mortified.

There was a period of silence, which was finally broken by Danse.

"Well... _this_ is going well."

Piper raised her eyebrows. " _Danse_ is cracking jokes now? ...Nora, what the hell _happened_ while you guys were away?"

Nora took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.

"...Power Noodles," she murmured after a few seconds. "Noodles make everything better."

* * *

 _"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"_

"Just say 'yes'," Piper and Nora said to Brooks in unison.

"Uh..." Brooks uttered at the robot uncertainly. "...Yes?"

Takahashi put a few bowls on the counter and paused.

"Oh! That's right..." Nora fished out a fistful of caps and placed them in front of the bowls. "There ya go, buddy."

Takahashi bowed a little and began scooping noodles into the bowls. Nick took a seat on a stool in front of the Protectron and smiled softly.

"How's the noodles game, Tak?"

 _"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"_

"That so. Well, so long as you're staying out of trouble."

 _"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"_

"Good. I won't tolerate anyone mistreating the only other robot in town I can stand."

Nora raised an eyebrow as she and the others took a seat around the counter. She, Danse, and Brooks had left their armor back at Nick's office, for mobility purposes. "Nick... don't tell me you can actually understand that?" she asked him.

Nick nodded. "There's a fault in his programming, that's why he can only say that one sentence," he explained. "Mayor McDonough refuses to repair him because he believes he's 'a symbol of Diamond City's culture'." He huffed as he said it, an annoyed tone to his voice.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Pfft... typical. That guy is a bureaucratic menace."

Nora couldn't help smirking a little. "It doesn't help that he's locked you out of Diamond City more than once."

Brooks who'd been blowing softly on his noodles to cool them down, laughed a little at that and looked at Piper, who was sitting next to him.

"He locked you _out?_ Of the entire _city?_ " he asked her incredulously.

Piper nodded. "He didn't like the stories I printed about him in 'Publick Occurrences', despite the right to free speech," she drawled.

He grinned. "What'd you say? Corrupt policies?"

"I made allusions that he may be a synth," she grinned back. "He... wasn't a huge fan of that."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, I'd guess not." He took a bite of his noodles and his eyes widened. "Oh my god..."

"Told ya so," Nora chuckled from further down the counter.

Piper chuckled too. "So Blue - every time I see you, you've got a different Brotherhood soldier with you. What's next? You gonna bring the _Elder_ with you on your next visit?"

Brooks suddenly coughed into his noodles and turned away from her, his shoulders shaking. He was glad he wasn't sitting next to Nora, because he was pretty sure she'd kick his leg and stare daggers at him.

...Which she was.

Piper raised an eyebrow, looking from one soldier to another. Even Danse's mouth was twitching a little, and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with everyone.

 _'...Hello... what's_ _this_ _?'_ Piper thought, reporter instincts instantly kicking in.

Nora recognized that look on Piper's face. She'd seen it before - whenever Piper was talking about a big story for her paper, or stopping the Institute.

 _'Oh god damn it Brooks... I hate you_ _so_ _much right now,'_ she groaned mentally.

"Sooooooo... did I say the 'magic word' or something?" Piper asked aloud curiously.

Danse kept avoiding eye contact, Nora suddenly seemed to find her own noodles _fascinating_ , and Brooks' eyes began watering as he started shoving noodles into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

Nick looked over at Piper and shrugged. Piper's eyes traveled back to Nora.

' _...I hate_ _both_ _of you right now,'_ Nora seethed, glaring at her fellow soldiers as Piper bore holes into her head. _'You just couldn't be subtle, could you?'_

Suddenly Piper's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"...Oh. My. God." she murmured, starting to look like a kid at Christmas. "...You're _NOT_."

Nora could feel her face burning, and cursed her pulse to the depths of Hell. "I don't know _what_ you're talking about," she croaked, knowing that her voice sounded shakier than she'd intended.

Piper slowly grinned. "No way... you and the _Elder?_ ...Is _that_ why you told me questions about the Brotherhood were off the table?" she asked. "When did _this_ happen? _How?_ "

"Piper..." Nora warned through gritted teeth.

Piper whipped her head towards Brooks, who was doing his very best to avoid eye contact. She narrowed her eyes. "...You _know_ something," she accused him. "I _know_ you do."

Brooks immediately shoved more noodles into his mouth and shrugged. "Cahn't tawlk, mouff fuhll, sowee!" he murmured.

She pursed her lips and looked over at Danse. "Danse? Come on, give me _something_ buddy."

Danse cleared his throat carefully. "I'm not at liberty to discuss _anyone's_ personal life, let alone Knight Taylor's. Sorry Piper."

Piper pouted and crossed her arms. "Oh come ooon," she whined. "Somebody tell me _something!_ " She looked back at Nora.

"Bluuue..."

"I meant to ask you about that," Brooks interrupted her. "Why do you call her Blue?"

Piper turned to him, a mischievous smile suddenly on her face. "...I thought _you_ couldn't talk because your mouth was full?" she simpered. Brooks blinked and shoved another heap of noodles into his mouth.

"It _ish_ full. Shee?" A goofy grin.

She chuckled and shook her head. "...'Blue' for her vault suit. I know she's not wearing it right now, but the Pip-Boy and the 'fish out of water' look when I first met her? They were dead giveaways for a vault dweller."

He made a noise of understanding. She stared at him for a couple seconds, then slid a little closer to him.

"So... have you known Blue since she first joined the Brotherhood?"

He nodded and swallowed his noodles. "Pretty much. I was there with her when Maxson was giving his address to the newest recruits. Heh... you should've _seen_ the way he looked at-" he froze and his eyes widened as he realized his mouth was running away from him again.

Piper's grin widened. "... _Yeees_?" she asked him eagerly.

"Um... nothing," he muttered quickly, shoving more noodles in his mouth (damn, he was running out of noodles to keep doing that…). He saw Nora's head slowly go down on the counter out of the corner of his eye. _'...Oops.'_

Nora grunted into her arms, her head still down. "No one's going to miss him, right?" she grumbled to Danse on her other side. "I mean... if he goes 'missing', no one will probably question it..."

Danse couldn't help the low chuckle that escaped his throat. "I think Paladin and Scribe Williams would _eventually_ notice their protégé's absence," he replied. "...Though under the circumstances, I don't think they would _blame_ you."

She picked her head up off the counter but proceeded to bury her face in her hands and sigh heavily.

"Piper," Nick finally spoke up, trying to hide a smile "...I think you're killing her. Give the kid a break, will ya?"

Piper pouted again. "Aww Nicky… she was going to tell me about the Glowing Sea _anyway_..."

Brooks snorted. "Yeah, wait'll you hear _that_ story..." he muttered.

"Brooks, I _swear to God_ -" he heard from further down the counter.

Piper grinned and gently elbowed Nora in the side. "Oh come on, now Nick and I _gotta_ hear the whole thing," she urged.

Nora groaned into her hands. "...There is _nothing_ I can say to make you forget the last few minutes, is there." It was more of a statement than a question.

Piper laughed and shook her head. "Nope. You _know_ I don't stop until I get the answers I'm looking for. Now just make it easier on yourself and _spill._ "

Nora sighed, finally forcing herself to meet Piper and Nick's expectant stares. She rubbed her forehead in resignation, suddenly feeling the stress of the entire day hitting her all at once. She nodded slowly.

"Alright, fine, you win - after we finish our noodles, I'll start telling you on the way to your place."

* * *

Nick and Piper sat side-by-side on Piper's couch, dumbfounded. Nora had told them all about what had happened at the Glowing Sea: the Children of Atom, Dr. Virgil, the Alpha Deathclaw (Brooks had filled them in on their rescue from the Glowing Sea, and luckily he'd managed to leave out the more... 'personal' details this time), her and Danse's recovery, the Courser battle earlier that day, the Freedom Trail, and the Railroad.

By the time Nora had recounted everything, she was exhausted and looking forward to returning to the Prydwen.

The synth and the reporter sat silently for a minute or two.

"...Wow," Piper finally said. "So... now you have to go _back_ to the Glowing Sea?"

Nora nodded somberly, leaning against the wall across from them. "Yep. Hopefully we won't run into any deathclaws _this_ time around..."

"I think we're going to be a little more cautious this time around, soldier," Danse huffed. "Especially now that we know more of what to expect, we can prepare ourselves better."

"Yeah, well... if I damage another suit of power armor, after all the work she did on my _last_ one, Proctor Ingram might kill me." Nora scoffed in response.

Brooks chuckled softly. "And you also gotta get her to build a teleporter... I don't envy _that_ conversation."

Nick frowned at Nora. "How do you know it's even going to work?" He asked, concern in his voice.

She shrugged. "Unfortunately... we _don't_. But it's the only solid lead we've had on the Institute so far. We don't really have much of a choice."

"Oh man..." Piper sighed. "This is sure turning out to be one hell of a story - _figure of speech_ ," she added quickly, holding up her hands innocently as Nora frowned at her.

Sighing, Nora rubbed her forehead and glanced up at her fellow soldiers.

"Well... it's been a very long day for all three of us," she murmured. "I think it's safe to say that we're all eager to head home."

Danse and Brooks both nodded, suddenly looking as tired as she felt. Nick and Piper both stood and nodded as well.

"If you need us, you always know where to find us," Nick reminded her gently.

Smiling softly, she stepped forwards and gave the detective a quick hug. "Thanks Nick," she replied gratefully. "You know I will."

Piper smiled at Danse. "Be careful, guys. You three play nice out there."

"Only if it 'plays nice' back, Piper," he replied wryly.

She chuckled as he exited the office and glanced at the other soldier. " 'Brooks', was it?"

"Yep. Or 'Matt'... either works." He shrugged and shot her a grin.

She smiled back at him. "Come back when you have time... I'll buy ya a drink and we can gossip about Blue here some more." She winked as Nora rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like fun.." Brooks replied, grinning a little wider. "I might have an interesting story or two to share-"

"I _am_ standing right here, you know," Nora drawled.

They laughed, waving to each other as Brooks moved towards the exit. As soon as he was gone, Nick and Piper both looked at Nora.

"So... about this 'Elder' thing..." Piper began, giving her a pointed look.

She grunted and rubbed her forehead. "Guys, I don't know if I have the energy for a lecture right now... especially since I don't have a Courser chip to give to the Brotherhood when I get back."

"Hmm… I know it's not our business, but-" Nick paused, sighing before he continued, "...being involved with _anyone_ in the Brotherhood of Steel could be risky. Being involved with their _Elder_ , well..." His jaw seemed to clench, and he placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "...We know you're smart and have good judgement, Nora - but Elder Maxson is a very... powerful man. We just worry about you kid, that's all."

Piper nodded. "I _know_ I don't have to remind you about the Brotherhood's typical stance on synths and ghouls, Blue. They're... not the most tolerant people out there, especially for guys like Nicky, here."

Nora took a deep breath. "...I know what you guys are saying, and I understand where you're coming from. But with all due respect - you also don't know him like I do. He's... not quite the dangerous man you think he is. I mean... he is to his _enemies_ , but not the people of the Commonwealth. He's kind of... misunderstood. He's _more_ than just... I dunno, a beard, a battlecoat, and a scowl."

Piper and Nick didn't look wholly convinced, but eventually Piper nodded. "Well... just be careful, Blue," she said. "I know the Brotherhood is probably your best chance to reach the Institute, but we just don't want to see you get hurt - physically _or_ otherwise."

Nora nodded back and smiled softly. "I'll do my best. And... thank you - _both_ of you. The fact that you guys care and are trying to look out for me really means a _lot_ to me. The Brotherhood may be like family to me, but... so are _you_ two."

"Aw shucks, kid... you're family to us, _too_ ." Nick replied with a smile.

Nora couldn't resist giving them both one more quick hug and a final wave before she headed out of Piper's to catch up with Danse and Brooks.

* * *

Once the soldiers had recovered their suits of power armor from Nick's office, they left Diamond City and signaled a vertibird to return to the Prydwen.

Nora sighed with relief as soon as the vertibird was docked aboard the airship. After the day they'd had, she looked forward to putting her head on her pillow for some rest.

 _'Not so fast,'_ her brain reminded her. _'You still need to report in with the others.'_ She fought back a groan and steeled herself with a deep breath. _'You're_ _almost_ _done... just hang in there for a_ _little_ _while longer.'_

Danse seemed to read her mind as the three of them headed into the Prydwen's command deck. He gave her a light pat on the back.

"I know it's been a long day, soldier... reporting in shouldn't take too long, then we'll have the rest of the evening to recover."

She nodded as they walked through the doorway to the upper command deck, where Captain Kells was talking to Arthur - their backs turned away from them. Kells did a double-take when he saw them.

"Welcome back, soldiers. You all have good news, I hope?" he inquired, turning to face them. Arthur turned at his greeting and was relieved when he saw that the three of them looked relatively uninjured.

Danse nodded and glanced at Nora, who handed him the holotape from the Railroad. He in turn handed it to Kells, who narrowed his eyes at it with Arthur.

"Hmm. So Coursers carry _holotapes_ in their heads now?" Kells said dryly before Danse could explain.

The Paladin shook his head. "...Not quite, sir."

He explained what had happened from the beginning of their day - the Gunners at Greentech Genetics, fighting the Courser and recovering its chip (Nora and Brooks noticed that Danse 'forgot' to mention the synth girl they'd set free), checking in with Dr. Amari, who in turn had pointed them in the Railroad's direction.

When he reached the part about the Freedom Trail, Nora saw a smidge of pride cross his features.

"Knight Taylor was the one who _really_ helped with our next task," he explained. "Her pre-war knowledge was integral to locating the Railroad's headquarters."

Kells looked at Nora with interest. "Is that so?" he asked no one in particular.

She resisted the urge to squirm a little under his scrutiny. "Paladin Danse is being modest as usual," she politely corrected. "Both he _and_ Knight Brooks were just as useful in deciphering the clues left by the Railroad. It was a _team_ effort, really." She saw a hint of a smile on both men's faces out of the corner of her eye.

"Alright," Kells acknowledged. "So how did the Courser chip become _this_?" He held up the holotape.

Danse continued on with his report, informing the Captain and Elder about the agreement made with the Railroad. When Kells frowned, Nora felt the need to jump in.

"With respect, sir - Dr. Amari all but told us that the Railroad was our _only_ hope in deciphering the Courser chip. They didn't leave us much of a choice - we either left the chip with _them_ , or we left with _no_ other options for moving forward. Coming back empty-handed was not an ideal prospect."

There was a pause in the conversation, then Arthur cleared his throat quietly.

"Whilst it would have been preferable for the chip to remain in our possession, it seems that your hands were tied. At least we have something to go on. Excellent work, soldiers. So... our next step is to build a teleporter using the code on the holotape."

"Actually... _sir-_ " Nora ignored the slight twitch at the corner of Brooks' mouth at her use of the title, "-our next step should be to return to the Glowing Sea to visit Dr. Virgil again, to see if he was able to recreate the _schematics_ for the teleporter."

Arthur had looked positively _cheerful_ before, compared to how he looked upon hearing _that_ from her.

 _'...I have to send her_ _back_ _there?'_ he thought unhappily. He felt his chest tighten. _'I almost lost her forever sending her and Danse there the_ _first_ _time...'_

He took a deep breath to keep the panic off of his face as Kells nodded.

"We were finally able to send a team to recover your power armor from the Glowing Sea today... though I'm sure I don't have to tell you they still need to be repaired from your _previous_ visit. Especially _yours_ , Knight." He glanced at Nora and raised an eyebrow. "From what I saw of _your_ suit, you really are lucky to be alive. Having seen the damage firsthand, it's beyond _me_ how you survived your encounter with that deathclaw. Your tenacity must rival that of Elder Maxson himself."

Another twitch of the mouth from Brooks.

"Thank you sir," she replied with a nod. She made a mental note to give Brooks a good swat on the arm later.

"At any rate," Kells continued, "your visit to the Glowing Sea should be easier this time, as you now know where Virgil is located. Once your suits are repaired, you'll be cleared to leave immediately. The sooner you return, the sooner we can begin working on the molecular relay. For now, you're all dismissed."

He saluted the three of them, who respectfully saluted back. They turned and exited the command deck - but not before Nora snuck one last anxious glance at Arthur out of the corner of her eye, who she noticed was doing the same with her.

* * *

Arthur ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He was sitting at the table in his quarters, contemplating the future. The Institute, the Brotherhood, Nora - all of it. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the dull ache in his head that was threatening to overcome his senses. He almost jumped when he heard a soft knock at his door.

He stood and pulled the door open, not entirely surprised when he came face to face with Nora on the other side. She blinked when she saw the tight expression on his face.

"I can come back later, if it's not a good time right now..." she offered gently.

He shook his head and stood back from the door frame to give her room. "No no, it's fine. Please, come in."

She entered and turned to look at him as he shut the door behind her. They simply stared at each other for a few seconds, then Nora cleared her throat.

"I'm sure you're concerned about Danse and I going back to the Glowing Sea," she began, "but... I really do think it will go better this time. Like Kells said - we know exactly where his cave is, we pretty much know what to expect from him, and all we have to do is see if he's drawn up any schematics - then we can get the hell out of there. Piece of cake. ... _ _Ideally_._ "

Arthur was silent for a moment, then sighed as he looked down at the floor. "...As if I could stop you from going anyway."

A hint of a smile played at her lips. "You're the Elder. You technically _could,_ but someone _else_ would just have to go in my place. Plus, you _know_ Danse and I work great together."

He looked back up at her and smiled, but it was a sad smile. "And even if I _forbade_ you from going... you'd probably find a way around it, or just get into some _other_ trouble."

She shrugged, trying to look innocent. "Not _necessarily_..."

He chuckled and shook his head. He walked up to her and slid his arms around her waist, then gently pulled her against him as he rested his forehead against hers.

"If I had _my_ way, I'd never let you out of my sight," he murmured.

Nora smiled mischievously. "You don't trust me?"

"I trust _you_... it's everyone outside the Prydwen that I don't trust. And if they were to find out about you and I-" he frowned and cupped her cheek, "-your life could be in even _more_ danger. I don't doubt that there are people out there that would use you to get to me. I know I can't constantly protect you... but I don't want to throw you willingly into harm's way, either."

Nora frowned as well. "Arthur... about that..."

He narrowed his eyes, not liking the tone in her voice. "Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

She took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject.

"There's... a few people that are already aware of us. They don't know _specifics_ , just that there's... _something_ ," she explained.

Arthur froze, on guard. "...How many is 'a few', exactly?" he asked cautiously.

She pursed her lips as she thought. "Well... Danse, for one. I'm sure that one's not too surprising."

He thought back to the night he'd run into Danse by the forecastle - the look of surprise and confusion on the Paladin's face at finding the retreating Elder _right_ behind the door. No, that one wasn't too surprising at all - especially since Danse had encouraged Arthur to go talk to Nora outside, and the two had definitely grown closer that night. That memory would always hold a special place in his heart.

"There's also Brooks, and probably Scribe Williams, judging on how quickly she pulled Brooks out of the room at the infirmary when he almost caught... us." She blushed at the memory. "That being said, it's probably safe to assume that Paladin Williams is aware of us as well."

Arthur nodded, not hearing anything too concerning so far. "Anyone else?" he asked.

Her gaze slipped away from his, and he grew increasingly uneasy.

"...Nora?" he prodded gently. "...Who else?"

She took a deep breath. "...Nick and Piper. My friends from Diamond City. They kind of found out by accident."

 _'Thank you very_ _much_ _, Brooks,'_ she thought bitterly.

He narrowed his eyes again as he took this information in. He didn't know this Piper, but Nick… that name was familiar, and he was trying to remember _why_. He raised his eyebrows when it suddenly hit him.

"...The _synth detective?_ " he confirmed in disbelief.

Nora shot him a pointed look. "Before you start getting all upset, remember that I trust them _both_ \- they're not going to tell anyone," she insisted.

Arthur resisted the urge to rub his eyes in frustration. " _Nora_..."

"The Institute threw Nick _away_ , Arthur. They're _not_ looking for him, and he's not going _back_ to them. Let me just remind you that Nick has had about a thousand opportunities to betray me - _and_ Danse - so far, and never has. And I truly believe he never _will_."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

 _'This woman...'_

"Moving along… is there anyone _else_ I should be aware of?" he asked.

She bit her lip slightly. "There is... _one_ more..."

He opened his eyes and steeled himself. "...Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" he asked wearily.

 _'Because you probably_ _won't_ _,'_ Nora thought uncomfortably.

She took a deep breath and swallowed a growing lump in her throat.

"There's an agent that works for the Railroad," she began. "He's... kind of their informant. It's his job to know the 'goings on' of the Commonwealth. And... he knew a lot about me. He knew about _us_. Vouched for me to the Railroad's leader, let her know that I was trustworthy. He was the reason we were even let _into_ their headquarters in the first place."

Arthur didn't quite know where to start. "How could he possibly have known about us?" He asked in disbelief. "I understand a few people in the _Brotherhood_ , but -"

"Sanctuary," Nora interrupted gently. "He saw us by the vault."

He grunted and shook his head. He didn't like this at all. "This is... concerning, to say the least," he muttered. "We don't even know if we can entirely _trust_ the Railroad, and they have a person that can infiltrate-"

"Like the _Brotherhood_ would have, if they felt the situation was appropriate," she interrupted again. "I'm not saying we have to _like_ it, but I don't think we necessarily have to _panic_ about it, either - for _now_. We have what we need from them. Let's just do what we need to do, and keep one eye open as always."

His mouth formed a thin line for a moment as he considered this. He sighed and eventually nodded, hoping he wouldn't regret this decision.

She nodded back, glad that they had that settled (for now). She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Well... I suppose I should go get some rest," she said softly.

"We _both_ should," he agreed.

She made to back away from him, but blinked when he didn't let her go and looked up at him, a confused expression on her face.

Arthur looked down at her tenderly. "...Stay," he mumbled after a moment of silence.

Nora's eyebrows rose in surprise. "...What?" she asked. "But... I thought..."

"I know what I said before," he murmured. "But... I just... want you here. With _me_. Stay."

She paused, feeling her pulse accelerate. "Is that a command from my Elder?" she joked.

He gently stroked her cheek, relishing in the way her skin flushed at his touch. "It's a request, not a demand," he told her softly. "But... one I hope you'll agree to."

Her heart thudded in her chest. How this man made her fall for him more and more with every touch, every gentle word he spoke, was beyond her.

She pulled him close and covered his mouth with her own.

He gently removed the elastic from her hair, not breaking contact with her. She held back a sigh as she felt him slide his fingers through her blonde locks, allowing them to spill over her shoulders and down her back. He deepened the kiss, and her knees started to buckle at the lightheaded feeling he was creating in her.

She gently pulled back and touched her forehead to his again.

"Well... when you put it _that_ way... how can I say no?"

* * *

END NOTES:  
\- For anyone curious, here's a link to all of the sites on the Freedom Trail (broken apart, b/c fanfic dot net ALWAYS messes up links for some reason):  
www dot thefreedomtrail dot org / freedom-trail / official-sites dot shtml  
'Fallout 4' does not include them all in the game - but it's understandable, b/c then you'd have extra, unused letters with the password, and that wouldn't make any sense.  
...I wasn't crazy about this quest anyway - just my personal opinion. I found that part of the game kinda lame, hence my characters making fun of it a bit when they got to the end. My husband played the game 1st, & then when he told me about this quest it sounded like a large waste of time (and I ended up exploring a lot more overall than he did in his game!).  
Especially when I found out what the password was, I was like, '...No way am I doing ALL that just to get the word 'Railroad'!' ...Hey, they had a long morning at Greentech Genetics. Can you blame them for being a bit cranky at the anticlimactic Railroad password? LOL.

\- Yeah... Deacon's a brat for embarrassing Nora, LOL. I have nothing against him, but I'm not a huge Deacon fan, so I hope I wrote him okay. I felt like under the circumstances, he would have made some kind of mention of Nora having a bit of a relationship with Arthur to Dez, and I couldn't resist, lol.

\- So like I said, I know this chapter was soooo long, my apologies! Do you guys prefer the chapters to be longer, or shorter? Lemme know! If you prefer shorter, I can work to break them up more - I personally like longer ones myself, so that's why I left this one so long. I can promise you though, they won't all be THIS long - I just wanted to get everything in here to 'set the stage' for the future. ;-D


	25. Chapter 25 - One Last Moment

BEGINNING NOTES:  
I'm SO sorry you guys had to wait a while for this chapter! The holidays happened, things got kinda crazy for my beta reader & I, and I wanted to make sure this chapter was PERFECT before I released it. We worked really hard on it, and I even considered scrapping it altogether once (or twice, lol). We JUST finished it earlier today, & I couldn't wait to get it posted!

A heads up: Without trying to spoil too much, this chapter DOES contain sexual content. If that offends you, please be warned. I will update tags & fic rating accordingly, just in case.

Once again, a trillion thanks go out to my beta 'ScorpioSkies' - I seriously would have gone insane without her help with the writing & formatting on this chapter! She was SO amazing, helpful, and awesome... yes, I'm totally kissing butt, but she **SO** deserves it! You are beyond AWESOME, chickie! :-D

For anyone who doesn't know, I always try to post fic updates (and other fallout fun) on my Tumblr blog, under 'SoleSurvivorKat' (address also in my AO3 profile).

Chapter 26 is also written, we just need to edit it... but for now, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter - my last of 2016! WOOT! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

* * *

Arthur shifted a little in his bed, slowly waking up. He became aware of the weight on top of him, and a soft smile crossed his face. As he glanced down at Nora's sleeping form, she murmured quietly in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, clutching the fabric of his shirt in her fist. He moved the hand resting on the small of her back and brought it upwards to gently run his fingers over her scalp and through her silky hair. His other hand covered hers as he watched her in wonder.

He'd _never_ slept so peacefully before as he did when she was in his arms. It was only the second night she'd ever spent with him, but he couldn't imagine sleeping without her by his side any more - even the _thought_ of doing so caused a dull ache to occur in his chest. Gazing down at her, a flood of emotions washed over him. They felt so strong, he was almost overwhelmed.

He almost wished he could pause time, just to live in this moment forever. No Institute to worry about. No worries about attacks, enemies, or staggering responsibilities... just peace and quiet. Contentment. Just him and the woman he...

...the woman he...

' _...The woman you_ _what_ _?'_ his brain asked him curiously.

He stared up at the ceiling, not quite sure how to respond. He took a deep breath, his pulse suddenly racing.

' _...You_ _knew_ _this wasn't going to be easy,'_ his logical side reminded him. ' _You're the_ _Elder_ _. Everything you do is watched and scrutinized -_ _everything_ _. If not by the Brotherhood_ _here_ _, then by the Brotherhood and the council of Elders in the_ _West_ _.'_

' _The council...',_ he thought, his heart sinking a little. ' _What would_ _they_ _think of...'this'?'_

They'd been pushing him to settle down, 'continue the Maxson name', and he couldn't keep using the Institute as an excuse. 'The battle will indeed be dangerous,' they had said, 'which is why you need an heir to continue the Maxson name, should the worst happen'.

Arthur sighed. _'_ _They're not worried about me_ _personally_ _, so much as they're worried about what I represent, what I can do for them,'_ he thought bitterly.

Of course, Arthur couldn't give a care if they approved of his relationship with Nora or not - _he_ knew how amazing she was, and if _they_ couldn't see that, then they were just _completely_ blind and senseless.

 _But_... obviously things would be a lot easier if he were free to choose whoever he wanted to be with, without the council 'suggesting' women in case he had 'difficulty finding one himself'.

He sighed and held back a grumble. As if _all_ of that wasn't taxing enough, now people were beginning to catch wind of his and Nora's relationship. ...Not that he'd thought it would remain a secret forever (he wasn't _that_ naive), but the more people that found out, the bigger the risk to Nora - to both her safety _and_ her reputation. He certainly didn't want the other members of the Brotherhood to think that she was getting some sort of special treatment, just because of his feelings for her.

And if someone _outside_ the Brotherhood had already discovered their relationship... it was really only a matter of time before the truth came out _completely_. The only options were to either break things off, or accept the inevitable.

...And he'd be _damned_ if he let anything or any _one_ take her away from him.

"...Arthur?"

He lowered his gaze as Nora softly addressed him. She was looking up at him, a concerned expression on her face. Her beautiful, soft, caring face.

"Is everything alright? You look... troubled."

She slid her hand out of his to gently cup his cheek, and he felt a muscle clench in his chest - confirming what he already suspected about his feelings for her. He forced a small smile.

"I'm fine, just... thinking."

She frowned, not liking the tight-sounding tone in his voice.

"Something's wrong. What is it? What can I do?"

He chuckled softly, touched by her immediate need to fix whatever was bothering him. He shook his head.

"I had a wonderful night's sleep, and awoke with a beautiful woman in my arms. At this moment, _nothing_ is wrong. In fact... everything is very, very _right_."

She didn't look entirely convinced."...Arthur..."

He gently pulled her up towards him and placed a long, tender kiss on her lips. When he finally pulled back from her, he slowly ran his fingertips over the soft, creamy skin of her cheek.

"Better?" he asked. She pouted slightly.

"...That is totally cheating, and you _know_ it."

He laughed softly and gave her another chaste kiss on her forehead.

* * *

Nora stood in the dining area getting her morning cup of coffee when she felt an enthusiastic pat on her shoulder.

" 'Ey, there she is! Feels like I haven't seen you for awhile!"

She turned and smiled when she saw Knight Womack grab a coffee mug from the counter and grin at her.

"Hey, Womack!" she greeted. "How's it been going?"

He shrugged as he filled his mug. "Oh you know, the usual - blasting muties away with Petris and Williams, hunting down ferals... speaking of which-" he glanced around and lowered his voice a bit, "-I'm trying to organize a little nighttime feral hunt - strictly off the books. Think you might be interested?"

Nora chuckled lightly. "I'd better not... I already got caught by Brooks, Danse, _and_ Elder Maxson when I tried to sneak off of the Prydwen after recently healing from the Glowing Sea... I've been trying to stay on my 'best behavior' ever since, just in case."

Womack nodded in understanding. "I know Institute synths are one of our top priorities right now, but I don't really give a damn about 'em - these ghouls are disgusting, and we need to keep thinning them out before they infest the entire Commonwealth."

She felt slightly ruffled by the way he said that, but didn't let it show - she was sure he was just referring to _feral_ ghouls, anyway.

... _Pretty_ sure.

" _Knight Taylor_."

They both jumped as a deep voice boomed behind them. They turned to see Arthur striding purposefully towards Nora, a deep scowl set on his face. He glanced quickly at Womack and gave him a terse nod, then looked back at Nora.

"I need you to meet me by the vertibirds in ten minutes. There's some business regarding the Institute that needs your _immediate_ attention. And Taylor -" his eyes flickered down to the mug in her hand and he grunted slightly. "-I know it may be _difficult_ for you, but _try_ not to keep me waiting this time."

Womack's eyebrows rose at the biting tone of his voice as her jaw dropped a little.

' _What the he-'_

She quickly realized what was happening and had to stop herself from reacting accordingly.

 _'He's... covering his tracks. He's up to something!'_

She pursed her lips, trying to resist the smile threatening to emerge.

' _All right Maxson, I'll play along...'_

"May I at _least_ finish my coffee, _Elder?_ " she asked dryly, doing her best to frown.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, his scowl deepening. "I don't think I like your tone, _Knight_ ," he growled. " _Watch yourself_. Ten minutes."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away. If anyone had been paying attention, they might have seen the slightest of smirks forming at the corner of his mouth as he left.

"Geez..." Womack murmured quietly, watching him go. "What crawled up _his_ backside this morning?"

Nora held back a snort and worked to finish her coffee as quickly as she could.

* * *

She was outside in _six_ minutes, trying not to look too enthusiastic as she headed for the vertibirds. Arthur was standing beside one, and turned when he saw her. Though he still wore a scowl on his face, it didn't reach his eyes - which almost seemed to twinkle at her.

"Knight," he greeted with a nod, his voice sounding gruff. He gestured towards the vertibird. "If you will."

She leaned forward to look at the empty cockpit, then looked back at him, confused. It took her a moment to understand.

"...You know how to _fly_ one of these things?"

"...I'm a man of _many_ talents." The corner of his mouth twitched.

Her eyes widened a little (to Arthur's amusement), and she hoped he missed the slight shiver that went through her (...which he did not).

* * *

Nora had no clue where they were going. As far as she could tell, they had flown in a northwestern direction. That was about all she knew. She hadn't done much exploring up in this area, so she couldn't really think of what might be up here. Arthur certainly hadn't given her any clues, just replied with a smug "You'll see," and a smirk on his face.

He landed the vertibird on a flat stretch of land and exited, waiting patiently for her to follow as well.

"Not too much further from here," he said succinctly, and started to walk forward.

Nora pouted slightly as she followed him, feeling a bit anxious. "You know Arthur... if you wanted to drag me out in the middle of nowhere and kill me, I'm sure there were much easier ways to do so."

He laughed softly, then seemed to remember himself as he shook his head and subtly put a finger to his lips.

Nora, catching his thought, was doubtful that even Deacon had the foresight to know that they were here (...wherever _here_ was), but nodded and fell silent.

As they navigated across the desolate wasteland, she blinked, suddenly feeling like she'd been here before. True - most of the wasteland looked the same, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu.

A structure appeared on the horizon, and she squinted at it. It looked like... some kind of bunker.

As they got closer, her eyebrows rose, suddenly recognizing the surroundings. She and Danse had been here before - one of their earlier missions, in fact.

"Is that... Recon Bunker Theta?" she asked in surprise.

Arthur looked at her innocently. "It might be," he replied nonchalantly.

She fought to keep a straight face as they arrived at the door and Arthur fiddled with the terminal outside for a moment.

' _Why you sneaky bastard,'_ Nora thought in amusement. ' _No one would think to come out here looking for us. Even_ _Deacon_ _isn't that good.'_

Her pulse sped up as he finished clicking away at the terminal and the door to the bunker popped open with a metallic creak. He turned to her once more, and the look on his face made her throat go dry. He stepped back to let her inside first.

"... _Knight_ ," he said softly, his voice sounding thicker.

She swallowed a growing lump in her throat and slowly walked forward.

" _Elder_ ," she purred as she passed by him, and smirked internally when she saw a muscle clench in his jaw.

She turned once inside and watched him enter, pulling the door closed behind him. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rising blood pressure.

"...So."

Arthur started, looking just as anxious as she felt. He shifted a little uncomfortably, not quite sure where to begin.

"Knowing what we talked about last night," he began, "I know it's only a matter of time before you and I are... found out. By _everyone_ , I mean." He slowly started walking towards her, causing Nora to swallow hard again. "I know we can't keep being secretive forever... the only _alternative_ is for us to go our separate ways."

He stopped in front of her, then reached out and gently cupped her face in his large hands. Nora felt her skin tingling where he made contact with her.

"...I have absolutely _no_ intention of doing that," he said, his voice taking on a husky tone as he stared into her eyes. "I just wanted... one last moment that was just for us. One last moment of _true_ privacy, before the inevitable happens." One of his thumbs stroked her cheek, and she felt a pang in her chest as he drew a shaky breath. "...One last moment in which we didn't have to answer to _anyone_... just ourselves."

Her heart pounded in her chest, knowing she was falling harder and harder with every word he spoke.

"Arthur..." she whispered thickly.

He swallowed nervously and broke eye contact, looking downwards. It almost pained him to pull his hands away from her - and when Nora looked down, she noticed his hands were shaking a little. He unconsciously curled them into fists at his sides.

"I meant what I said before - I won't make you do _anything_ you don't want to," he murmured. He forced himself to look up at her eyes again, his own pulse racing when he saw the expression on her face, something akin to... _desire?_ But... maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He took a deep, shaky breath. "But... i-if you're willing... I-"

He never got to finish his thought, because at that moment she reached one hand up to the back of his head, slipping her free arm beneath his coat and around his waist. She pulled him tightly against her, and crushed his mouth against hers. He froze for a brief moment, then let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms back around her and returned her passionate kiss.

They tightened their embrace on each other as they deepened their kiss. Nora's hands began to wander, running across his chest and arms.

Arthur shivered at her touch, suddenly feeling like it wasn't enough... he wanted _more_ , and the fact that no one was around to see or interrupt them this time only seemed to encourage his impulses.

He felt her tug at his coat and obliged, shrugging it from his shoulders and onto the floor where it fell with a soft thud. She drank in the sight of him in just his uniform, admiring the muscular curves of his body. He blushed under her intense gaze, then wrapped his arms back around her tightly and kissed her again. She whimpered softly, feeling electrified everywhere he touched her. She suddenly felt like there were too many layers between the two of them.

Her hands flew to the zipper of his flight suit, but she paused and pulled away to look at his eyes, silently asking permission. She shivered when she saw how his eyes had darkened with lust, his head tilting forward with the slightest of nods.

She swallowed hard, slowly pulling the zipper down to his waist, her breath quickening in anticipation. She could now see the soft blue glow of his holotags, and as she pushed his flight suit aside, she caught sight of the hard, chiseled muscles underneath.

' _Oh God,'_ she thought, staring at his bare chest. It was... _gorgeous,_ with a fine layer of soft, dark hair. She couldn't resist sliding her fingertips and palms over his pectorals and abs, feeling a small jolt of excitement when he let out a soft gasp at the contact.

His eyes slid shut and he fought to hold back the moan rising in his throat. Her touch set his skin aflame, and by the time he opened his eyes and reached for her own zipper they were both breathing heavily.

His hands shaking slightly, Arthur pulled the zipper down to her navel. It was taking all of his self-control to not just rip the damn suit off of her _completely_ , but he wanted to enjoy his time with her as much as possible. He ground his teeth together as her holotags and bra became visible behind the uniform, covering her perfect, round breasts.

Nora began to grow anxious as he slowly undressed her. This was everything she wanted, and he was perfect - but she _wasn't_. Stretch marks still marred her belly from her pregnancy with Shaun, not to mention the multiple scars she had accumulated on her journey. Life in the wasteland certainly hadn't been kind to her body... so what if he didn't like what he saw?

Arthur laid her doubts to rest when he slowly pulled open her suit and ever-so-tenderly trailed his fingertips over the curve of her breasts, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. He reached up, his calloused hands warm as they slipped beneath her uniform, easing it away from her shoulders. She pulled off her Pip-Boy and freed her arms from the sleeves before returning the favor. She reached forwards, her hands caressing his bare chest again before she grasped his flight suit, pushed it off his shoulders, and rolled it down to his waist.

She stepped back and for a moment they stood there, silently drinking each other in. Then all at once they were locked in a passionate embrace, kissing each other hungrily.

Arthur raised his hand to her breast, gently cupping her through the satin material of her bra and squeezing with his fingers. Nora moaned softly, tightening her hold on him as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. She felt his other arm slip around her waist, securely anchoring her to him.

He reluctantly broke their kiss, leaning his forehead against hers as they gasped for breath. She stared into his eyes before lowering her gaze, taking a moment to admire his bare chest and powerful arms. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

' _It may not be_ _your_ _'first rodeo', but it_ _is_ _HIS,'_ she reminded herself. _'Take it easy... go slow...'_

Going slow was the _last_ thing she wanted right now - but if it was Arthur's first time, she wanted it to be as wonderful for him as she could possibly make it.

She felt an ache deep within her as she returned his gaze, lost in the hunger of his eyes. She cupped his face in her hands.

"... _Bed_ ," she rasped softly.

Arthur swallowed hard. With a small nod, he grasped the back of her thighs and pulled her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

He carried her towards the bed, laying her gently down upon the sheets before kicking off his boots. He climbed on top of her, straddling her hips before turning around, one hand stroking down her leg towards her boot. As his fingers began working the laces loose, she studied him intently, noticing the old scars that marked his torso. She intended to run her hands over every inch of him before the day was through.

Once he had removed her boots he lay over her, leaning on his elbows so as not to crush her beneath him. His holotags dangled down from his neck, falling upon Nora's with a soft _clink_. He reached forward with one hand, gently removed the clip holding her hair up, and watched her golden tresses fall softly around her shoulders. When he brushed a stray lock away from her face, she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand with a soft sigh, placing a tender kiss against his palm.

He gazed at her in awe for a moment, then leaned forward and slowly trailed soft kisses across her skin, beginning with her cheek. He kissed down to the edge of her lips, then along her jaw before making his way down her neck. He took his time, occasionally pausing to brush his tongue across her skin.

Nora's breathing became heavy. She loved the feel of his beard brushing her skin and the way that he was building her up to slow torture.

He kissed along her collarbone, smiling when he felt her skin vibrate as she made a quiet noise of pleasure. He continued down, gently brushing aside her holotags and kissing her chest, pausing only when he reached the soft curves of her breasts. He watched, mesmerized, as they rose and fell in time with her breathing.

After a moment he leaned forward again, planting tender kisses between her breasts as he shifted more of his weight onto her. He slipped one arm around her back, raising his free hand to fondle her breast as he kissed the other.

She moaned and squirmed underneath him, yearning to feel more of his touch. Arthur seemed to have the same idea, because she felt him tugging gently on the back of her bra. It took her a minute to realize what he was doing - and when she did, she bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"Arthur," she murmured, gently pushing her hands against him. He either thought she was calling his name in pleasure, or was too distracted to hear, because he didn't immediately respond. She began to shake with laughter and found it was getting harder to hold back.

" _Arthur_ ," she repeated firmly, pushing him a little harder.

He reluctantly pulled away to look at her, his brow furrowing in confusion.

' _Oh steel,'_ his mind raced instantly, ' _I've done something wrong and ruined the moment, or she's changed her mind and doesn't want this after all - doesn't want ME after all... now I've upset her and... and... is she... laughing? I... didn't think I was doing_ _that_ _poorly...'_

His face reddened in embarrassment, and she quickly shook her head.

"Not _you_ ," she tried to explain through giggles. "You didn't do _anything_ wrong, I was just trying tell you - it's... in the _front_ , not the _back_."

Arthur blinked and looked down at her bra again, finally noticing the clasp in between her breasts. He glanced back up at her, a mixture of awe and confusion on his face.

"...They _make_ those?" he asked incredulously.

His expression struck Nora as adorable, and a breathy laugh escaped before she could stop it. Even he couldn't quite suppress the small smile that threatened the corner of his lips.

"Well... they _used_ to," she murmured. She reached up to undo the clasp, but his hands closed over hers.

"Please... let me?" he asked almost shyly, and she felt her face heat up as she nodded, withdrawing her hands.

His hands trembled slightly as he eased his fingers under the clasp. He swallowed hard, feeling more nervous - but also more _excited_ \- than he ever had in his life. He fumbled with it for a few moments, but then it came undone. He slowly eased the bra away, releasing her breasts from the fabric.

He leaned back, watching as she slipped her arms free of the straps before she tossed her bra away onto the floor.

As she lay back down, Arthur moved over her, his eyes burning with desire. Nora felt hot beneath his gaze, and as he began to caress her skin, her eyelids fluttered shut.

His thumbs brushed over her nipples and she gasped, biting her lip as she felt them stiffen in response. As his gentle touches became deeper strokes, she slipped her arms around him, pulling him closer.

He lowered his head, planting seductive kisses upon her breasts before taking one of her nipples into his mouth. As he began to suck, his tongue brushing against her sensitive skin, she arched her back, inadvertently grinding her hips against his.

"Ahh-A-Arthur..." she moaned, now only too aware of how hard he had become.

He groaned softly against her skin and she couldn't help but to grind against him again, reveling at the contact. He instinctively bucked his hips against her. He was panting, trying to stay in control of himself, but the sounds she made were definitely not helping.

She whimpered when she felt him pull away and opened her eyes, her breath catching when her green gaze met his blue. He lowered his smoldering gaze to where her uniform still hugged her waist, reaching towards it with hesitant fingers.

"I... want to see _more_ of you, Nora," he breathed huskily. "...Please?"

She swallowed hard and nodded, raising her hips from the bed. He gently pulled the suit off of her legs before throwing it on the floor. She then proceeded to remove his uniform after a pause and slight nod from Arthur. She discarded his clothes by hers, leaving the two of them in their underwear.

He took a shaky breath, bracing himself on one arm as he leaned over her again. He gazed down at her for a couple seconds, taking in the sight of her beautiful body. Reaching down with his other hand, he slowly trailed his fingertips over her soft skin, starting at her cheek and working his way downward.

She squirmed under him, shivering as his touch left goosebumps upon her flesh. She watched his hand as he caressed her, running his fingers lovingly over her skin - imperfections, scars, and all. Her attention moved back up to his face, her pulse quickening at the captivated look in his eyes.

He hesitated, then reached towards her underwear, his fingers lightly brushing over the fabric between her legs.

Nora squeezed her eyes shut, her hands gripping the sheets as she bit back a moan.

 _'Please, not yet...'_

She opened her eyes and reached out for him, one hand slipping through the soft hair across his chest and down his abs. Her other hand trailed across his back, her fingernails dragging lightly across his skin.

Arthur's eyes widened and he shivered, enjoying the feel of her hands on him. She was far from done, however. She moved both of her hands to his shoulder blades and dragged them down his back, digging her fingertips into his skin until she reached the curve of his hips. He grunted as she moved her palms down and around his thick thighs. A playful smile curved her lips as she rubbed him through his underwear.

He gasped, involuntarily thrusting against her palm as he felt her touch. As he bucked, his hand pressed between her legs, causing her to writhe and moan in ecstasy. His other hand moved to her head, his strong fingers tangling in her hair as he crushed his mouth against hers.

She responded with equal passion, wrapping her arms around his wide shoulders as they both fought against reaching their limits too soon.

After a few moments they broke their kiss, resting their foreheads against each other as they gasped for air.

"I'm... not going to last... much longer... like this," Arthur finally rasped, Nora nodding in return.

"...Me either..."

He drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he lowered his gaze. She felt his fingertips curl into the band of her underwear and his expression became nervous as his eyes returned to hers.

"...C-can I?" he asked uncertainly.

She nodded, lifting her hips off the bed as he slowly pulled her underwear away. He discarded it on the floor and gazed down at her.

Now that she lay _completely_ bare beneath him, her insecurities returned with a vengeance. She began to fidget, glancing away as she attempted to cover her body, only to feel his hands close over hers.

"Don't," he pleaded softly. "You're... you're _so_ beautiful, Nora." He gently pushed her hands away and leaned forward, placing tender kisses on top of her breasts, wanting her to feel as attractive as he found her to be.

She moaned quietly and moved her hands down, wanting him now more than ever. Clutching the top of his boxers, she slowly pushed them down over his hips and he removed them the rest of the way.

Her eyes roamed over him longingly, and it was Arthur's turn to feel a little self-conscious. She couldn't resist reaching down and gently stroking him, wishing the moment could last forever. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he groaned in pleasure.

"Ohhh... Nora..."

She whimpered softly at hearing her name from his lips, whispered with such passion. He reached his hand down, over her own, and helped guide himself into her. As he slowly began to push, they both gasped, lost in their joint ecstasy.

They both groaned when he was fully sheathed inside her and paused for a few seconds to catch their breath. Arthur leaned down to brush his lips against Nora's, his palms sliding over her warm body as she trailed her fingertips down his back.

When she felt ready, she began to move her hips, grinding against him gently. He grunted, pulling slightly out of her before thrusting forwards again, starting a slow rhythm.

She arched her back as she rolled her hips against him. Her head tilted back and she bit her lip to contain the small sounds of pleasure which escaped her. He stared down at her, mesmerized. As their eyes met, he cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned forward, trailing soft kisses down her neck.

She hooked her heels around the back of his legs, pulling him closer. The motion drew him deeper inside her, eliciting a low moan from them both. Increasing his pace, Arthur wore a faint smile as he watched the way Nora's breasts bounced slightly with each thrust.

"Ohhh... god, Arthur," she whimpered, almost at her peak. Her hands assumed a mind of their own, caressing as much of his body as she could reach.

Arthur pulled back slightly, panting as he gazed down at her.

Seeing this beautiful, amazing woman writhing in ecstasy beneath him, calling his name, wanting him as badly as he wanted her... it was almost too much for him to handle. The feeling was new, incredible, and he never wanted to lose it.

" _Ahhh_..."

As the pace quickened further, their moans and sounds of pleasure mingled, lost in passion. The thrusts came quicker - rougher and more erratic - as they moved their bodies against one another, writhing together in an almost-frenzied fervor. Nothing existed anymore. At that moment, the world faded away and all they knew was each other and what they were sharing.

Nora's fingertips dug into his back, gripping hard as she felt her muscles begin to clench.

" _A-Arthur_..." she panted, the feeling rising from deep within her. "I... I can't..."

His jaw tightened as his hand firmly gripped the back of her thigh, whilst the other moved between her legs to rub against her with his thumb. He groaned as she tightened around him.

She cried out beneath him, her back arching further as she squeezed her eyes shut. As the pleasure overcame her, she gripped him tightly, waves of heat rolling through her as white light exploded behind her vision.

Arthur gasped as he felt her tighten once again. Feeling his own release not far behind, his thrusts increased in intensity, growing more erratic.

"Nora..." he pleaded softly. "I... I'm..."

Her eyes held his attention as her heels held him in place. Her hand rose to his chest and she felt his heartbeat pulse with a steady rhythm. He calmed at her touch.

"It's... it's okay," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's safe. Please... trust me."

His brow creased in confusion for a moment but he stayed silent. He did trust her - with his life, in fact.

He nestled his head against her neck as he finally came with one last deep thrust - making a sound somewhere between a groan and an animalistic growl - and held her tightly as he shuddered against her. His body sank on top of hers, and they lay there, still entangled. They panted heavily as they caught their breath.

After a few seconds he rolled them over, pulling her onto his chest and holding her close. She snuggled against him and he lay there, content to hold her in his arms. For a few moments, all they could hear was the sounds of their heavy breathing as they came back down from their highs.

Nora was the first to recover, shaking her head slightly.

"You... fucking liar."

Arthur's eyes snapped open and he blinked, glancing down at her. "Hmmm?" he questioned, brow furrowed in confusion.

She looked back up at him, a hint of a mischievous smirk upon her lips.

"There's... no _way_ that was your first time. I don't believe it for a second," she teased.

He stared at her for a moment as the words sank in, then slowly began to smile, his cheeks blushing. "I... I read," he mumbled.

It was her turn to blink and stare.

"... _'_ _You read'?_ " she repeated incredulously. "Read _what?_ "

Arthur hesitated, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "...'Tumblers Today'," he replied with a wry smile. " _Fascinating_ source of information."

Nora said nothing for a moment, then shook her head as a breathy laugh spilled out of her, Arthur's deep chuckles soon joining hers. When they had drifted into a comfortable silence, he brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and cupped her cheek as he gazed at her intensely.

She gazed back at him, nestling her other cheek against his shoulder so that her face was a few inches from his. Gone was the lust in his eyes, but in its place... there was a look that made her pulse race, that made her feel hot and cold all over. What it meant she wasn't quite sure - but she didn't have to wait long to find out.

Arthur sighed softly as he looked into her eyes, his thumb brushing against her soft cheek as his heart swelled. The feeling of having her in his arms, bare-skinned and completely exposed to him, was indescribable. There was absolutely _no_ doubt in his mind how he felt for this woman, and he didn't want to hold himself back anymore. He drew a deep breath and tried to steel himself, but getting lost in her eyes made the words just come tumbling out.

"I love you, Nora."

She froze for a moment, not daring to believe what she _thought_ she had heard. She blinked a couple times, her lips parting in astonishment.

"Wh-what did you say?" she whispered.

Arthur leaned forward a little, touching his forehead to hers. "...I love you," he repeated tenderly. "I... I don't ever want to be apart from you. You make me happier than... than I ever thought I _could_ be." He swallowed nervously and stroked her cheek again. "Please don't feel like you have to say it back," he added quickly. "You don't. But... I just couldn't go another day - another _moment_ \- without you knowing exactly how I feel."

Her eyes began to tear up, and his chest tightened as he immediately feared the worst.

 _'Oh God... she doesn't feel the same way... and now I've ruined things forever...'_

She swallowed hard and didn't move for a second or two... then she reached her hand up and cupped his cheek.

"...I am _so_ in love with you, Arthur," she breathed, feeling her heart pound inside her chest. She hadn't really admitted it to herself before now, but it was suddenly just so clear to her... as if it was something she'd always known, deep down.

Arthur gaped at her, his own eyes beginning to gloss over.

"You... you love me?" he stammered quietly, almost as if he was afraid to believe it. Nora nodded and smiled bashfully, a tear escaping from one of her eyes as Arthur tenderly brushed it away with his thumb.

"So _very_ much," she murmured. He smiled shyly and closed the distance between them, kissing her deeply as he ran his fingers through her hair. She returned his kiss and sighed softly, feeling that for this one, brief moment... everything in her life was absolutely perfect. She knew she had many obligations and responsibilities - they _both_ did. But for _now_ \- she had Arthur, and Arthur had her, and that was all either of them needed to know. Unbeknownst to the other, they both had the same wonderful, heartwarming thought in the back of their heads at the same time...

' _...She loves me...'  
_ ' _...He loves me...'_

* * *

END NOTES:

Once again - Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed reading this. I love writing for these two. ^.^  
Feedback or comments, as always, are appreciated!


	26. Chapter 26 - Missing

Many, many thanks go out again to my beta 'ScorpioSkies'! She's so awesome beyond words!  
ALSO: thanks to 'Dubstep_Strawberry', who also helped me with the Prydwen-to-vertibird communication part of the chapter! I really appreciated your help!

* * *

Nora fell back onto the bunker's mattress breathing heavily, Arthur soon following suit beside her. As she brushed her disheveled hair away from her face, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms back around him and cuddled against his side, nuzzling her head against his neck.

"...I think... I'm going to have to soundproof my room," he murmured. She blushed and let out a breathless laugh.

"And how are you going to explain _that_ one?" she asked mischievously. He pursed his lips and said nothing for a moment.

"I'll... think of something."

Nora laughed again and shook her head as a smirk formed at the corner of Arthur's mouth. He turned to look at her and gently touched her cheek.

"...I love you. I never get tired of saying that."

She brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes and leaned her forehead against his.

"I love _you_. And I never get tired of hearing it."

He leaned forward and gave her a long, tender kiss, which she gladly returned. When she finally pulled back a little, she blinked at the pensive look on his face.

"...Arthur? What's wrong?"

He frowned slightly, but shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, I was just... thinking back on something you said earlier. When you said it was... 'safe'... before." His cheeks blushed as he scrunched up his brow. "What... did you mean?"

Nora thought back for a moment, and then her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh! _That_. I... have an IUD in. It's uh... a contraceptive device," she explained when she saw the blank look on his face. "I... had it put in after I had Shaun so I wouldn't get pregnant again too soon. Then... everything _else_ kind of happened."

Arthur was silent for a few seconds.

"...Is it... permanent?" he asked carefully. Nora shook her head.

"No, it can be removed. Though... I doubt too many doctors are aware of something like that nowadays, so I'm sure _that_ will be an interesting visit." She froze as she suddenly realized the implication of his question.

 _'Is... he thinking of that_ _already_ _?'_ she wondered in surprise. _'We only just-'_

 _'You were the one who technically made it a thing in the_ _first_ _place,'_ her brain reminded her. _'He was just... checking. Don't forget - the poor man has been groomed his whole life for two main purposes: to become Elder of the Brotherhood, and then have children who can take over for him when he's too old. Of_ _course_ _that would be a concern for him.'_

...Which, coincidentally, was _exactly_ what Arthur was thinking. Not that he was going to force Nora to do anything she wasn't ready for anytime soon, and _not_ that he was going to leave her if she _couldn't_ have children (though that _would_ have complicated things a great deal), but... unfortunately, it _was_ something he had to keep in the back of his mind for the future. He started to panic when he saw Nora frown and his mind raced to cover his tracks.

"I... I didn't mean to... _presume-"_ he stammered uncomfortably. Nora blinked and shook her head again.

"No, it's not _you_ , Arthur. I was just... thinking about having kids again someday." Her frown deepened. "I don't know if _I'm_ who you'd want mothering your children anyway... I've done a 'bang up' job with my _own_ son so far." She sighed sadly and looked away from him.

Arthur felt his chest tighten and shook his head, gently turning her face back to his.

"Don't say that - nothing that happened was _your_ fault. You had no idea... that _any_ of this would happen. How _could_ you?" He brushed some of her hair back, away from her face. "You love your son, and you're doing everything you can to get him back. No one could ask anything more from you than that." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and Nora smiled a little, but it didn't last long.

"But... I've missed so much time with him already. At this point, I'll be a stranger to him." She felt her heart clench in her chest. The thought of being a stranger to her own son was awful. "What if... what if he hates me for not finding him sooner? What if... he doesn't even _want_ me?" Her eyes began to tear up and she buried her face against his bare chest. Arthur frowned and gently rubbed the back of her head, hating to see her so conflicted and upset.

"How could anyone _not_ want you?" he chastised her softly. "You're... wonderful." He delicately pushed her back to look into her eyes and stroked her cheek again. "You're the most... amazing woman I've ever met, Nora. It's why I fell in love with you." She smiled softly at that, touched.

"Besides," he continued, "you could drive yourself crazy with doubts and 'what if's. It won't help. All you can do is just see it through - and I'll be with you as much as I possibly can. No matter _what_ happens in our future..." he touched his forehead to hers, "...we'll face it _together_. I'm not planning to let you go _anytime_ soon. ...Okay?"

She paused, then nodded slightly. "...Okay," she murmured. He brushed his lips against hers, wanting to kiss away her worry and doubt. She deepened the kiss a little, and he felt her smile against his lips.

"...I don't suppose we could just stay here in the bunker and forget the rest of the world exists?" she mumbled. His chest rumbled with quiet laughter.

"I think _several_ people would take issue with that, and not just on _my_ behalf," he muttered back.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Stupid responsibility," she pouted jokingly. He laughed and pulled her closer.

"...We might as well take advantage of the time we have now," he murmured, lowering his voice suggestively. She raised an eyebrow and smiled as his hands slid over her bare skin.

"Oh my God... I think I created a monster," she teased. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well... if you'd rather just go back to the Prydwen, then..." he moved like he intended to get off the bed, then laughed when he felt her grab him around the waist and pull him back towards her.

"I don't think so, _Maxson_ ," she smirked as she moved over him. "...I'm not through with you _yet_."

* * *

After a time (or a _few_ more times), Arthur and Nora conceded that they had to go back and reluctantly began getting dressed again. She sighed quietly as she started pulling up the zipper of her uniform. She wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to the Glowing Sea, or going through something as unheard of as a teleporter - and that was assuming they could even _build_ the damn thing. If Coursers and synths could travel by using it, she wanted to believe that she'd be fine too - but nothing was certain, including what she'd find once she _got_ to the Institute.

 _'One step at a time, Nora,'_ she reminded herself. She turned towards Arthur, only to see him watching her intently. He blinked when she met his eyes, then he smiled at her.

"...What?" she chuckled. He shook his head and started walking towards her.

"Nothing, just... thinking about how lucky I am." He stopped in front of her and gently covered her hands with his as he finished zipping up her orange uniform for her. She smiled and kissed his lips softly.

"Let's hope your luck rubs off on me for the near future," she murmured. His smile flickered.

"You'll be fine," he assured her. "You'll have Danse with you, and we both know that he's one of my best officers. You two make a formidable team. But even _that_ aside - you've accomplished so much on your _own_ so far. I have no doubt in your abilities."

"Spoken like a true Elder," she joked, taking the time to finish zipping up _his_ uniform for him. He chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's hard to turn off. The Brotherhood of Steel is all I've ever known."

"Well you seem to have that in common with Danse," she replied. "He eats, sleeps, and _breathes_ Brotherhood. It's no wonder he's one of your best." She walked towards the doorway and grabbed Arthur's battlecoat from the floor, then walked back over to him and held it out. He took it from her with a nod and put it on, then sighed.

"Well... I suppose it's time to head back then," he murmured. Nora pouted playfully for a couple seconds, then sighed too.

"...Why do I feel like as soon as we leave this bunker, things aren't going to be quite the same again? Not just with _us_ I mean," she added quickly, "just... in general." Arthur frowned and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey..." he said gently, "Remember what I said earlier? No matter _what_ happens in our future, we'll face it _together_." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. "I know we won't have as much privacy onboard the Prydwen, and of course we'll have to maintain our _professional_ relationship... but I'll still be with you as much as I can." Nora smiled softly and nodded, then took a deep breath.

"Alright... let's head out."

* * *

They weren't far from the Prydwen when the vertibird's radio suddenly crackled to life.

 _"This is Prydwen Command, requesting acknowledgment from vertibird designation DP-76 Charlie Tango. Seeking verbal confirmation from Elder Maxson, come in Charlie Tango."_

Arthur and Nora glanced at each other curiously before he tapped a few buttons on the radio and spoke into the mouthpiece on the pilot headset.

"Prydwen Command, this is vertibird designation DP-76 Charlie Tango," he replied. "Elder Maxson speaking. We are en route to the Prydwen and should be docking there shortly with an ETA of about five minutes. Proceed."

 _"Elder - respectfully requesting that you land at the airport before docking at the Prydwen. There's a... 'situation' there that may require your attention. We heard that Knight Taylor is with you - this seems to involve her as well."_

Arthur and Nora definitely looked at each other in concern after hearing that.

"Command, what seems to be the trouble?" he asked warily.

 _"There's a non-feral ghoul that recently arrived at the airport, sir. Says he needs to speak with Knight Taylor on urgent business... but he won't tell us what that business_ _is_ _, and he isn't willing to speak with anyone else_ _except_ _for Paladin Danse - and the Paladin is currently at the Cambridge Police Station checking in with Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys. The ghoul said his name is Hancock, but that's_ _all_ _he'll tell us."_

"Hancock?" Nora murmured in surprise. Arthur raised an eyebrow at her.

"...The mayor of Goodneighbor?" he asked in a puzzled tone. "What would _he_ -" he stopped mid-sentence, and he and Nora seemed to have the same thought at the same time - the Memory Den. Nora had asked the ghoul to keep in touch with her if anything else unusual happened, and if he was suddenly at the airport on 'urgent business'... Arthur's mouth formed a thin line as he cleared his throat.

"Roger that, Command. We'll land at the airport when we arrive and sort this whole thing out."

 _"Acknowledged, sir. Ad victoriam!"_

"Ad victoriam, Command. Over and out."

* * *

Arthur and Nora hopped out of the vertibird and were approached by a soldier in power armor, who immediately saluted Arthur as soon as they reached him.

"Elder Maxson, sir," he said, his voice slightly altered by the power armor's helmet. "I trust Prydwen Command has informed you and Knight Taylor of the... 'situation at hand'?"

"They have," Arthur replied. "Where is he?"

The soldier gestured towards the sentry standing guard at the airport entrance. Sure enough - as they made their way over to them, there was Hancock just outside the entrance, looking somewhat disgruntled. Nora frowned as she overheard the sentry talking down to the mayor.

"Watch yourself, ghoul... if you even _look_ like you're going feral, I'm putting you down."

"Pfft... you Brotherhood grunts think ghouls are all monsters. Let's see you make a move - I'll show you who the monster really is." He did a double-take when he spotted Nora, his face visibly brightening at the sight of her.

"Hey, _there_ you are darlin'!" he grinned. "Wish I could say it's good to see you - but under the circumstances, well..." He scowled a little at the sentry again, who ' _hmph_ 'ed under their helmet. He looked back at Nora and smirked. "...It's almost odd to see you without the 'Tin Can' glued to your hip for once."

Arthur peered at Nora out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow.

"...'Tin can'?" he asked her quietly.

"He means Danse," Nora murmured back to him, trying not to smile at Hancock's remark. Arthur pursed his lips for a moment, then cleared his throat and gestured at the sentry with a nod, who nodded back and begrudgingly stepped aside to give the ghoul some room to enter. Hancock stepped forward and approached Nora and Arthur.

"Hancock," Nora nodded politely, a small smile on her face. "It _is_ good to see you again." She reached her hand out to him and he shook it warmly. She turned towards Arthur. "This is Elder Maxson, the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel. Er... the _Eastern_ chapter, anyway." Hancock eyed the Elder up and down.

"...Wow, that is _one_ snazzy coat," he said with a slight smirk. "I gotta get _me_ one of those."

Arthur, meanwhile, was also taking the opportunity to examine the ghoul from top to bottom. He raised an eyebrow at Hancock, not sure if he was being sincere or sarcastic. He didn't quite know what to make of this... interesting character. It wasn't that he _particularly_ disliked non-feral ghouls (as he knew some other members of the Brotherhood tended to), but... he at least understood why his soldiers were a bit anxious around them. He - like them - had seen all too many times how much damage feral ghouls could cause, and there was no telling if and when a non-feral ghoul might go feral.

He paused for a moment, trying to decide how best to greet the ghoul mayor. He was a leader, after all... anything he did was a reflection on the _entire_ Brotherhood of Steel. He cleared his throat again, feeling a little uncomfortable, then rigidly stuck out a hand. The ghoul stared at him with what looked like mild amusement for a couple seconds, then reached out and shook it.

"Nice to see _some_ of you 'bucketheads' have manners," Hancock muttered. Arthur stiffened, not used to his soldiers being insulted _right_ in front of him, and narrowed his eyes a little. He opened his mouth to say something, but Nora quickly interrupted.

"So Hancock, uh... we heard you had some urgent news. I... don't suppose it's _good_ news you have for me?"

Hancock opened his mouth slightly, then paused to peer at the other soldiers for a moment. He stepped closer to Nora, lowering his voice some.

"There's... been an incident in Goodneighbor," he murmured quietly. "At the Memory Den, specifically. Something I thought you and 'Crew Cut' really needed to know about ASAP. I... don't really know what to do about it."

He looked uneasy and Nora bit her bottom lip. Goodneighbor was not a place for the faint of heart, and even _less_ so if you were the _mayor_. Hell, Hancock had stabbed a guy to death right in front of her and Danse when he first met them. If something had happened that was making _him_ nervous...

"John..." Nora prodded gently, "what is it? What's happened?" Hancock's black eyes flitted over to Arthur for a moment, and Nora could see the uncertainty on his face. Arthur recognized that look all too well.

 _'He doesn't trust me,'_ he thought. _'The way many Brotherhood soldiers view and treat ghouls, I can't_ _entirely_ _blame him... then again - right or wrong - I understand the soldiers' concerns as well...'_

"Hey-" Nora said quietly, and put her hand on Hancock's shoulder to get his attention. "...I trust him with my _life_ , like Danse. If you trust _me_ , you can trust him _too_ \- I swear it." Hancock narrowed his eyes a little and stared at her for a second, then nodded.

"...Amari's gone," he said softly. Nora gaped at him for a moment.

"She's gone? ...What do you mean, ' _gone_ '?"

"I mean, she's gone. _Disappeared_. No one knows where she is. And the Memory Den... the place got torn apart, especially her lab downstairs. Irma and Kent weren't there at the time, but... Nora..." Hancock paused and took a deep breath. "...I very much doubt that this was some kind of accident. I think... something may have happened to her." Nora and Arthur's eyes both widened, and they looked at each other in shock.

"Oh no..." she murmured. Arthur's mouth formed a thin line.

"This is not good," he said. He quickly glanced at their surroundings.

"...Not here," he muttered softly. His eyes met Hancock's. "Would you be willing to come aboard the Prydwen? It would be a more secure area to discuss this." Hancock's brow raised in surprise.

"Me? Aboard _that_ thing?" he asked incredulously. His eyes flitted to Nora, who shot him a quick 'please behave' look. He couldn't help smirking. "Sure... as long as I don't get shot if I accidentally sneeze or something."

Nora closed her eyes and held back a groan. Sometimes she felt like it was her job to keep her acquaintances at an arm's length away from each other. Arthur pursed his lips again.

"I assure you, that won't be the case," he replied dryly. "If you'll follow me." He turned, raising an eyebrow at Nora as he did so, then headed back over to the vertibird they had arrived in, Nora and Hancock in tow.

"So," Hancock drawled beside her as they walked, "life with these guys is treating you well?" He turned his face towards her and smirked again. Nora scoffed and shook her head.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" she mumbled. He laughed softly and shrugged.

"What can I say... I like getting a rise outta people," he joked. The corner of her mouth turned up at that.

"Anything for a rush, eh Hancock?" she quipped. He grinned and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"That's my girl," he replied, pointing a finger at her in a 'bingo' sort of motion. "Reliable as hell, but also with a quick wit. It's too bad the Brotherhood claimed you... I could use a chick like you watching my back like Fahrenheit."

"I have a feeling that's not _all_ I'd have to watch in Goodneighbor," she drawled. Hancock laughed again and gave her shoulders a squeeze, while Nora tried to ignore the scowl Arthur was attempting (and failing) to hide over his shoulder at the ghoul. As they climbed into the vertibird, Hancock clucked his tongue as he looked around.

"Never been in one of these things before... _nice_ ," he remarked. Nora climbed in beside him - partially to keep an eye on him, partially because seeing the look on Arthur's face every time Hancock got remotely near her made her both a little amused and a little nervous... and that was before they traveled to a whole airship _full_ of Brotherhood soldiers. Not that she didn't _trust_ her fellow soldiers, but... one never knew. Arthur didn't look 100% thrilled, but Nora figured she could always just smooth things over later.

As they rose into the air, Hancock cackled with delight. "Oh man, I gotta tell Daisy about this," he called to Nora. "What a rush!" Nora snickered and shook her head, but remembered feeling the same way the first time _she_ rode in a vertibird - heading for the Prydwen for the first time with Danse shortly after she joined the Brotherhood.

"You should see the view when we're actually flying over the Commonwealth," Nora told him. "It's _amazing_... almost takes your breath away. ...You know, better than that junk you insist on using." She gave him a wry smile, which he returned.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he replied. "You know what they say... two a day keeps reality at bay." Nora thought she heard a snort from the cockpit, but couldn't be entirely sure. She reached out and gripped the fabric of his jacket's shoulder in her fist.

"Just... be careful how far you lean out the door," she warned. "These things can be bumpy when they dock sometimes."

"Awww - I'm touched that you worry about lil' ol' me," he grinned. Nora rolled her eyes, ignoring another noise she thought she heard from the cockpit (sounding like a grunt this time).

"I just don't want you to splatter on the airport tarmac before we can get this business at the Memory Den figured out," she said dryly.

"Don't worry - I won't tell the other combatants that you're totally hot for ghoul mayors." Hancock wiggled his brow at her. "Your secret's safe with me. ...Oh, and 'Captain Cosmos' up there." They felt the vertibird jostle a little bit, and turned to look at the cockpit.

"... _Turbulence_ ," came a curt, gruff reply, after a brief pause.

* * *

As the three of them left the vertibird and headed for the door to the inner Prydwen, Nora caught a couple soldiers staring at Hancock with narrowed eyes. She stared daggers right back at them, silently daring them to make the first move. They looked like they wanted to make a snide comment or two, but held back when they saw their Elder leading the trio.

"Command deck?" she murmured to Arthur. He shook his head.

"My quarters," he replied. "A little more secure that way, just in case." Nora couldn't help wondering if Deacon's knowledge hadn't set him a little on edge, but shook it off as they entered the airship and made their way down to his room. Once they were all inside, he shut the door and turned to face Hancock.

"All right... let's start at the beginning," Arthur said. He gestured to the table by the door and the three of them took a seat - Arthur and Nora sitting across from Hancock.

"Well," Hancock began, "After that raider - or whoever he was - had left Goodneighbor, nothing unusual happened for a while. ...Nothing unusual for _Goodneighbor_ , that is. Last night, Irma and Kent left the Memory Den to grab a drink at the Third Rail, leaving Amari on her own. They invited her along of course, but you know Amari - always involved in her work, whether it's with Goodneighbor, or for-" he paused, his eyes flickering between Nora and Arthur for a second.

"...The Railroad?" Nora ventured a guess. Hancock nodded hesitantly.

"So, you've heard of them," he replied. She nodded back.

"Longer story short, Danse and I have met them already," she said. Hancock looked slightly amused.

"I'm sure 'Tin Can' just _loved_ that encounter," he drawled. "...We usually turn a blind eye to their activities in Goodneighbor, as long as they're not bothering anyone." Arthur looked less than amused at that, but said nothing as Hancock continued.

"Anyway - when Irma and Kent returned to the Memory Den, the place was ransacked. There was no trace of Amari, and her lab downstairs was in even _rougher_ shape. I think maybe someone was looking for something, and Amari just happened to get in the way."

"...Did anyone see anything? _Hear_ anything?" Nora asked. Hancock shook his head.

"I asked around. Either no one saw or heard _anything_... or they _did_ , and they're not talking. Which - unfortunately - is a strong possibility in Goodneighbor."

Nora sat back in her chair while Arthur ran a hand through his hair. They looked at each other and sighed. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly a knock came at his door.

"Come in," he called out warily. He and Nora were both relieved to see Danse cautiously poke his head in the doorway.

"Hey, 'Crew Cut'!" Hancock grinned. "I was wondering if I'd get to see you today." Danse frowned a bit at the ghoul, but nodded politely.

"Hancock." He looked at Arthur. "I heard about what happened and returned as soon as I could, sir."

"Danse, good timing," Arthur replied, waving him inside the room. "Come in, come in." While Danse entered and took a seat at the table next to Hancock, Nora quickly filled him in on what had happened at the Memory Den.

"...So we have no leads, and not much information to go on," she said glumly. She thought for a moment, then widened her eyes a little. Hancock raised his brow at her.

"You got a thought there, sister?" he asked.

"Well... when I didn't know where to start looking for my son, I went to Diamond City," she replied. "It seems to me... like we need a _detective_." Hancock's eyes lit up, while Arthur and Danse's shoulders slumped.

"...Oh no..." Danse murmured, shooting Nora a look. She shrugged back at him.

"Danse... we don't have too many other options," she said quietly. "I know we also have the Institute to deal with... but for all we know, the two things could be connected. Even if they're _not_ \- we're all aware of what kind of technology the Memory Den has, and what kind of knowledge _Dr. Amari_ has. In the wrong hands... who _knows_ what someone could do?" Arthur sighed again and rubbed his forehead as he pondered this.

"All right..." he said hesitantly, and looked from Danse to Nora. "I want you two on this. Be as discreet as you can - the less people that know about this, the better." He looked at Nora and frowned. "This... 'detective' of yours," he asked her, "...you're _absolutely_ _sure_ you can trust him?" Nora nodded.

"100% positive. I'd stake my _life_ on it," she replied firmly.

"I'll tell ya Elder... if I thought Valentine would ever hurt a hair on 'sunshine's' head here, _I_ wouldn't let him near her," Hancock added with a half-smile. Both Arthur and Danse glanced at Hancock skeptically, not looking convinced.

"I... have a bit of a thought," Nora said carefully. When the other men looked at her, she continued. "I'm... sure I don't have to remind you guys that the Brotherhood of Steel isn't exactly _loved_ in Goodneighbor. If anyone knows anything, and they weren't even willing to talk to _Hancock_ here, they're sure as _hell_ not going to give any information to a couple of _Brotherhood_ soldiers." Hancock's mouth twisted thoughtfully.

"...That's... actually a good point."

Arthur nodded reluctantly.

"So... what would you suggest?" he asked her curiously. She took a deep breath.

"Well... we might need to go... 'incognito', sort of. Blend in. If I wear my vault suit and Danse dresses like a settler or something, maybe people will be more willing to talk to us. Or at least, we might have a better chance of _overhearing_ something useful."

Danse raised an eyebrow. "...Are you sure that would be wise, Nora? Going into Goodneighbor with little to no protection?"

"What's your alternative?" Hancock asked him with a lopsided smile. "Go in 'guns-a-blazin', and hope people will confess something when you brandish your 'rifle of justice' in their face?" Danse scowled at him.

"Well maybe if you actually did your duty as _mayor_ of that seedy place instead of worrying about securing your next 'fix', this might not have even _happened,_ " he snapped at the ghoul. Hancock's black eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me? You-"

"I wasn't suggesting we go in with _no_ protection," Nora quickly interrupted, trying to stave off an argument between the two. "We should still be able to carry _some_ kind of weaponry on us. I mean... _no one_ goes into Goodneighbor unarmed. We just... wouldn't be able to carry our laser rifles, is all. I mean, let's face it - almost _no one's_ going to think much of an 'ordinary vault dweller'. If anything, I should appear even less 'knowledgeable' than an ordinary _wastelander_." She raised an eyebrow at Danse and Arthur knowingly. "...Remember when I first met you _both_?" Both men frowned.

"That... was not quite the same thing," Danse huffed indignantly.

"Uh-huh," Nora murmured doubtfully. She turned to Arthur. "And are _you_ going to try and tell me that you _weren't_ questioning Danse's decision to take me on as a recruit when _you_ first saw me?" Arthur looked uncomfortable.

"...Er-" he faltered. She had him backed into a corner and he wasn't used to that happening to him. He strongly disliked it. Hancock was unable to keep a small smirk off of his face as she nodded matter-of-factly.

"Exactly. I just have to make sure the people that _already_ know who Danse and I are keep our true identities hidden - like Daisy." She looked at Hancock, who nodded.

"You got it, doll... I'll take care of that on _my_ end."

The other two men didn't say anything for a few moments. Danse raised an eyebrow at Arthur, who twisted the corner of his mouth as he thought. He wasn't crazy about this plan, but their options were limited. His one consolation was that Nora was thinking about this strategically. He might have been impressed, if he wasn't already trying hard not to picture one of Goodneighbor's denizens sticking a knife in her back, or her synth detective defecting back to the Institute and shooting her and Danse. Finally, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Very well... do what you need to do. Report back as soon as you can. And for steel's sake - be careful." His eyes shifted from Danse to Nora, lingering on her a little longer. "When you return, we'll plan our next move with the Institute."

They nodded as they stood up from the table, along with Hancock. As they started out of the room, Arthur cleared his throat.

"Paladin - a quick word," he said.

"Hancock and I will meet you by the vertibirds," Nora told Danse. He nodded and turned to Arthur as the other two made their exit. Arthur paused and eyed the door warily for a few moments.

"...I know I don't even have to _ask_ you to keep your eye on her," he murmured softly, "but if you wouldn't mind, keep an eye on our... 'new acquaintance' as well." The corner of Danse's mouth twitched upwards the tiniest bit.

"I'm way ahead of you, sir," he assured the Elder. Arthur nodded slightly.

"Good, good. That will be all, Paladin."

* * *

Nora stopped by her footlocker with Hancock to grab her vault suit before heading for the flight deck outside. They both ignored the occasional scowls from some of the Brotherhood soldiers as they walked. She couldn't help noticing that Hancock kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, then smirking slightly. She narrowed her eyes at him as they neared the door to the outer deck.

"...What?"

"So - 'Captain Cosmos' seems to be... particularly fond of you," he drawled. She fought to keep her innocent 'lawyer face' up.

"...What makes you say that?"

Hancock chuckled. "I've been on the receiving end of many a glare over the last few years, _especially_ from members of the Brotherhood of Steel. Trust me - there's a difference between 'you generally disgust me', and 'I don't like you near _her_ '. It's a subtle variation, but it's there. I've mostly gotten the _first_ look from the 'Tin Man' - but your Elder definitely gave me the _second_ look, and more than once. Quite... interesting."

Nora rolled her eyes. "You've been hitting the chems a little hard, my friend," she replied. "I think you're just seeing things." He shrugged and smiled at her.

"All right, whatever you say darlin'... but you're lookin' pretty red in the face there."

She scowled as she pushed the door open. The armored knight standing guard outside made a dissatisfied noise when he spotted Hancock.

"Are you sure that thing's tame?" the soldier muttered derisively.

"Heh! Hardly," Hancock shot back as they descended the stairs. Nora glared at the soldier as she passed him, then sighed and shook her head.

"...I'm sorry, John," she murmured. He waved away her apology and patted her shoulder.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, darlin'... like I said, I've been hearing stuff like that for years. You get used to it."

"...They're not all like that," she said softly. "I promise you, they're _not_."

"Hmm." Hancock didn't sound too convinced, but gave her a soft smile as they approached the nearest vertibird. "You know... my earlier offer still stands. I'm happy to jump in if you ever get tired of traveling with 'Soldier Boy'."

Nora opened her mouth to speak, but jumped when she heard a deep voice behind her.

"That will _not_ be necessary."

They both turned to see Danse approaching the vertibird, scowling at Hancock who narrowed his eyes in return.

"I don't think I was talkin' to _you_ , Sergeant Buzzkill," Hancock grumbled.

"John," Nora warned softly. Danse strode straight up to Hancock, stopping only inches in front of him.

"Now you listen to me, you... _degenerate_ ," Danse growled. "Knight Taylor is under _my_ command. The locations we go to - it isn't mere 'traveling'. They're _missions_. We have a responsibility to the Brotherhood of Steel, _and_ to the Commonwealth - unlike you, who has power and chooses to waste it by filling your body with junk."

"Danse!" hissed Nora, but he ignored her and went on.

"She doesn't need you corrupting her mind and trying to get her to forget her obligations. You've made plenty of your _own_ mistakes in life - don't bring her down _with_ you."

Nora's eyes widened in shock, while Hancock's narrowed to dark slits. Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"DANSE!" she snarled at him through gritted teeth. Hancock scoffed at him, but his laughter sounded anything but amused.

"...Watch yourself, smoothskin," he muttered dangerously. "You have _no_ idea what kind of person you're dealing with."

"I know _exactly_ what kind of person I'm dealing with," Danse snapped back.

" _HEY!_ " Nora hollered. It worked - Danse and Hancock both whipped their heads around to gawk at her... as well as the few Brotherhood soldiers that were also outside. She inhaled deeply, taking a second to collect her thoughts and try to calm her anger.

"We are _supposed_ to be working together. I don't expect you guys to be friends, but I _do_ expect you to grow the hell up and act like the adults you _are_. You can have your dick-measuring contest _later_." The men's eyebrows shot upwards. "For _now_ -" she turned towards Hancock and narrowed her eyes, "- get in the vertibird." Hancock stared at her for a moment, surprise evident on his face.

"...Nora-"

Her eyes narrowed more, and she bared her teeth at him.

"I said. _Get. In. The. Vertibird._ "

His mouth dropped open for a couple seconds, then he held his hands up in front of him.

"...All right... you're the boss, darlin'." He climbed up into the aircraft, then Nora turned to Danse - who was still gaping at her.

"And _you_ -" he flinched a little as she suddenly pointed a finger up at his face. "I know you're trying to look out for me - but I have a brain of my _own_. Do you _really_ think I would throw away everything I have with the Brotherhood so easily and without a care, just for a chance at a little Jet?"

"Mentats, today," corrected a gravelly voice from inside the vertibird.

" _Button it_ , Hancock!" Nora shot back. She turned her attention back to Danse, trying not to let the hurt show on her face. "...Do you really think so _little_ of me?" she asked him softly. "Do you think that I would throw you away so easily?" Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "...That I would really do that to _Arthur?_ "

Danse spluttered for a moment, at a total loss for words.

"I- I didn't mean-"

"I _know_ he 'pushes your buttons'," she said. "but _he_ knows that, too. You can't let him get to you every time he opens his mouth. _Especially_ if we're going to need his assistance in Goodneighbor. I'm trying to convince him and the _rest_ of the Commonwealth that the Brotherhood is misunderstood - and stuff like _this_ isn't helping."

"Nora..." Danse sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. "People like Hancock-"

"I know what he is, and what he does," she interrupted gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But remember what you told me? 'If we want to win the hearts and minds of the people of the Commonwealth -' "

"I know, I know..." he murmured. He disliked how Nora sometimes made him forget which one of them was the superior, and which was the subordinate. He supposed he should just be grateful that he had rubbed off on her that way. He frowned and nodded at her. "...I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly.

She nodded back and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, we're not just partners - you're my best friend, Danse. You always _will_ be." She smiled wryly at him. "...Now let's go get mugged." Danse snorted and shook his head. They both did a double-take as they suddenly noticed the lancer that was standing by them, looking severely uncomfortable.

"...Uhhh..." the pilot murmured. Danse rolled his eyes a little and jerked a thumb behind him.

"...Just get in the vertibird, Harris."

* * *

Per Nora's request, the vertibird dropped them off outside of Sanctuary first so she and Danse could change their clothes before going to Goodneighbor.

"We'll be back in just a little bit," she told Lancer-Knight Harris, who nodded back as the three of them exited the vertibird. Hancock had decided to go with them, rather than stay and endure uncomfortable looks from the pilot. As they neared the front gate, the corner of Danse's mouth twitched upwards.

"...How long do you think it'll take him?" he asked Nora. It took her a moment to realize who he was talking about - but when she did, she grinned at the Paladin and counted down with her fingers.

"I'd say in about... five, four, three, two..."

Like clockwork, they heard barking in the distance. Sure enough, Dogmeat soon came bounding down the lane towards them, tongue lolling out in excitement. He went for Danse first, jumping up and pressing his paws against his chest.

"Ohhh, _I_ see how it is," Nora drawled as Dogmeat jumped forward and licked his cheek. Danse laughed again and shrugged as he ruffled Dogmeat's fur.

"What can I say... our boy must appreciate authority," he grinned. Dogmeat gave a little whine and jumped up on Nora next, who kissed his fur with a smile.

"Yeah yeah... you males are all alike," she chuckled. Dogmeat licked her face and barked. "I know, you missed me too," she grinned.

Dogmeat tilted his head at Hancock, then gave a friendly bark at him as well. Hancock chuckled softly.

"Good to see you again too, pooch," he replied. They headed to Nora's house, Dogmeat trotting beside them. Codsworth hovered outside just as they were reaching the front door.

"Ah, mum! Paladin Danse! And even our beloved mayor of Goodneighbor! So good to see you all again!" he called out cheerily.

Danse wanted to grimace at hearing _anyone_ call Hancock 'beloved', but forced his face to remain blank when he saw Nora shoot him a look out of the corner of his eye. Hancock smiled softly at the Mister Handy.

"Pleasure, Codsworth. Keep it real."

Nora patted his outer casing with a smile. "Unfortunately, we're only staying for a few minutes, buddy. Just getting some clothes."

"No worries Miss Nora, not much new to report anyways. Mister Garvey is patrolling the town if you're looking for him."

"Thanks Codsworth, I'll make sure to check in with him before I go," she told him as she, Danse, and Hancock entered her house. She reached into the small pack she had brought with her and pulled out her vault suit. "Hancock, if you wanna have a seat - Danse and I will be just a few minutes," she said, gesturing towards her couch. Hancock couldn't resist the smirk that crossed his features.

"Alright kids, don't do anything that _I_ wouldn't do. Or... maybe you should do the _opposite_ of what I would do." He winked at Nora, who rolled her eyes and tried not to look at the scandalized expression on Danse's face as she grabbed his arm and gently pulled him towards her and Nate's bedroom.

Once inside, she went over to Nate's bureau and searched through some of his old clothes, trying to find something that would fit Danse well enough. Nate had been muscular, of course - being a soldier and all - but he hadn't had quite the build that _Danse_ had, and Danse was a little taller than Nate as well. When she finally found a pair of jeans and a couple shirts that she thought would do, she turned to face him - then blinked in surprise at the expression on his face. He looked... sad? Concerned?

"...Danse?" she asked him curiously. "...What is it? What's wrong?" He cleared his throat gently.

"Are you... sure this is all right?" he asked hesitantly. "Me borrowing... clothes, I mean?" She paused, then smiled as she walked forward and handed him the clothing.

"It's totally fine," she assured him. "They're not doing any good just sitting in a drawer... _someone_ might as well be using them." She patted his arm, then headed for the doorway. "You can get changed in here," she said. "I'll change in the other room, then meet you back in the living room with Hancock. Give a shout if they don't fit, okay?" Danse nodded, and she closed the door behind her as she left."

* * *

Heyyyy... _there's_ the girl I remember," Hancock grinned when Nora came out to the living room in her vault suit. "Seems like only yesterday I was watching you and 'Paladin Killjoy' enter Goodneighbor for the first time."

Nora pursed her lips as she sat beside him on the couch. She took a deep breath.

"You know... I know you guys get along like a Molotov Cocktail and a match, but Danse at least has the class to call you by _your_ name, Hancock. ... _Most_ of the time, I mean. You _could_ return the favor."

"You also heard the guy call me a _degenerate_ , right?" he asked, looking somewhat skeptical. Nora gave him a long look.

"And if you're being 100 percent honest, can you _truthfully_ tell me that you don't _act_ like one?"

Hancock opened his mouth to argue but hesitated, before slowly closing it again.

"I'm not criticizing you," she assured him gently. "And I know he can be a little 'rough around the edges' sometimes. But he's not _just_ my superior - he's my friend, too. He's done more for me since I first met him than you know. If it wasn't for him... I wouldn't have lasted this long. When you give him a hard time, it sometimes hurts _me_ a little, too." Hancock frowned and looked chastened at that.

"...I'm _not_ saying you can't tease him ever again," she continued. "...I think if you _didn't_ say something sarcastic every three minutes, your head would explode." He laughed softly and she gave him a small smile. "Can you just... cut him a _little_ slack? Please?" He thought for a moment and shook his head.

"I don't think I'll ever quite understand what you see in that guy," he murmured. "...I hope the Brotherhood knows how lucky they they are to have you." He sighed and nodded. "...I can't make any promises, _but_ \- I will _try_ to be good. For _you_." She leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, John. It means a lot to me."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered with a wry smile. He turned his head slightly when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and blinked when Danse appeared from the hallway. Hancock raised his brow at the sight of the soldier in regular clothing.

"Wow Paladin, you could almost pass for human right now," he smirked. Nora immediately gaped at Hancock with a ' _What the hell did I just say?!_ ' face, and Hancock's hands flew up innocently in front of him. "...I-it just slipped out, I _swear_ ," he whispered. Danse narrowed his eyes at Hancock.

"Funny... I was about to tell _you_ the same thing," he grumbled. Nora groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"You two are freaking _exhausting_ ," she complained. She looked up and did a double-take at Danse.

"What?" he asked her, looking down at himself self-consciously. "...Not good?" She slowly raised an eyebrow.

"No, you look fine," she said hesitantly. "I'm just... not used to seeing you without a couple hundred pounds of metal around you. Or, you know... _orange_. It's a little weird to see you look so... _normal_." It was Danse's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Well... that _is_ the idea," he said dryly. "But... thank you for the clothes."

Nora nodded as she and Hancock stood up. She couldn't help wondering what _Arthur_ might look like in something besides his Brotherhood uniform and battlecoat. She'd seen him in his PJs, sure (and of course, _not_ in his uniform...) - but in a good pair of jeans and a tight shirt...

She shook her head, trying to focus her mind back onto the task at hand. The three of them left her house again, Dogmeat following along beside her. She led them to a nearby house, seeing Preston chatting outside with Sturges and Mama Murphy sitting in her usual chair on the patio. Preston smiled when she caught his eye.

"General! I'm surprised to see you out of your uniform," he greeted, shaking her hand warmly. Nora smiled, returning his handshake as his eyes drifted to the two men behind her, nodding a greeting to them.

"Hancock. Da-" he stopped mid-greeting as he did a double-take at Danse and raised his eyebrows. "Wow - I almost didn't recognize you, Paladin." Danse looked slightly uncomfortable as Hancock snickered.

"We... have some business to take care of in Goodneighbor, and we need to be discreet," Nora explained. Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh! And I forgot to tell you the last time we were here: I talked to Elder Maxson about how some of the Brotherhood troops were commandeering crops from settlers, in order to... 'keep the troops friendly'." Danse's brow scrunched up in confusion as she made quotation marks with her fingers, then she frowned sadly at Preston.

"I... didn't even know that had been going on - not until recently. Please Preston - you have to believe me."

Danse's mouth dropped open. "They were doing _what?_ " he asked sharply.

Preston nodded and held up a hand. "I know, Nora," he said gently. "I know that's not your _or_ Danse's style. I only heard about it from some of the other settlements recently myself. It's... only too bad that some people in the Brotherhood thought they had to handle things that way." Nora nodded in agreement.

"If I knew that had been going on, you can be rest _assured_ that I would have done something about it," Danse added, looking none-too-pleased at this new revelation.

"I know it's not much of a consolation, but Elder Maxson wasn't aware it had been happening, either. You should have seen his face when I mentioned it to him," Nora said. Her mind drifted back to her previous conversation with Arthur about it.

 _"...Even if we_ _do_ _need food, I'm certainly not about to rip it out of the hands of a hungry family just to get it,"_ he'd said.

"At _any_ rate," she continued, "I can guarantee that it's _not_ going to be happening anymore. We're going to figure out a compromise as soon as we can. Maybe... some kind of trade agreement. Like - some food _in exchange for_ protection from raiders, mutants, or gunners. Only... you know, no threats or bullying if some settlements can't _spare_ any extra food - which unfortunately, some _can't."_

"Well that sounds downright reasonable," Sturges said with a soft smile. "I gotta tell ya - I'm sure glad we've got someone like you on _our_ side, Nora."

"What can I say - I've had a lot of practice negotiating," she replied with a wry smile. Preston and Sturges chuckled, then Preston gave her a pat on the arm.

"Well, Sturges and I should get going... we promised to lend a hand at Abernathy Farm today," he said. "Good luck with your, uh... 'business' in Goodneighbor. Stay safe."

He and Sturges nodded at the three of them and headed off. Nora turned to Mama Murphy - who luckily looked pretty lucid today.

"Mama Murphy," Nora greeted. "You're looking... well."

"Clear-headed, you mean?" she replied dryly. "Not by choice, I'll tell ya. I know, I know..." she held up her hands as Nora opened her mouth to protest, "No chems. Still - life sure seems pretty dull without 'em."

"Oh, I like _this_ chick," she heard Hancock chuckle behind her. Nora and Danse both shot him a look. "...What?" he smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Danse... why don't you and Hancock head to the vertibird, I'll be right there," Nora told him. Now Danse shot _Nora_ a look - one that clearly said ' _Leave me with him for long, and you'll be less one ghoul mayor._ ' Regardless, he nodded stiffly and the two of them headed back out of Sanctuary. Nora turned back towards Mama Murphy.

"So... how've you been doing?" she asked her. Mama Murphy smiled back at her.

"I think the more important question, kid, is how have _you_ been doing?"

Nora stared at the woman for a moment. She thought back to when she'd first brought Danse to Sanctuary, and Mama Murphy had used 'the Sight' to warn her about the future. She had mentioned... tough times for 'the _three_ of you', a lot of pain, a lot that could go wrong... how the Commonwealth would suffer if Nora didn't succeed...

With the warnings had come what seemed like odd advice - not to believe everything she saw, to remember the ' _real_ enemy'... something about help from the past (whatever _that_ meant), not letting 'what you are' define you... and the last tidbit - she _still_ felt uneasy at Mama Murphy's urgency as she'd said it - to trust 'him', even if Nora disliked or even hated the things 'he' said and did.

...She knew a lot of 'he's. And she didn't know who the third person was along with her and Danse... it could be _anyone_ , she supposed. But her mission to the Glowing Sea had been successful, albeit 'bumpy' - was _that_ what the premonition was referring to? And the pain involved? Because... both she _and_ Danse had definitely had their share of pain after being rescued.

"I'm... all right," Nora told her hesitantly. "Danse and I had a bit of a rough time on our mission to the Glowing Sea, but we're both fine now. Is that... what you meant before?"

"Nah, nah, nah," Mama Murphy said, casually waving a hand in the air as if she were talking about the weather. "I hate to tell ya kid, but... that's the _least_ of your worries. 'Child's play', compared to what still lies ahead of you. I can't give you _specifics_ -" she added quickly, as Nora opened her mouth. "...Not without a little ' _help_ ', that is." She raised an eyebrow hopefully, while Nora narrowed hers.

" _No_ ," Nora said firmly. "No way. It's not worth your health, or even your _life_."

"Suit yourself," Mama Murphy shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for tryin', though. By the way..." an odd smile suddenly formed on her face. "...I saw you and _him_ have gotten... 'closer'."

"Who? Danse?" Nora asked curiously. "Or..." she paused as she remembered her last visit to Sanctuary and stiffened. "Wait... d-do you mean Ar- Elder Maxson?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Is _that_ who you were referring to before? About 'the three of us', and needing to trust him?"

Mama Murphy nodded, her expression slowly turning sad, almost... piteous?

"Like I said, kid - the road ahead is gonna be rough - for _all_ of you - and your troubles are just _beginning_. But you're not alone, and you need to be strong for the future. A lot of people will be depending on you."

Nora took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Between having the whole Institute - the 'Commonwealth's Boogeyman' - to deal with, and whatever happened in Goodneighbor with Dr. Amari, she sometimes felt like she was standing at the edge of a tall cliff, trying not to fall off... despite being constantly pushed back towards the edge.

"Mama Murphy," she murmured quietly, not even sure she even _wanted_ the answer to this question, "...why did you tell me I need to trust him no matter what? Is there... something I should be worried about?" Mama Murphy definitely looked sympathetic now.

"I'm sorry hon... like I said, I don't got specifics. All I can tell ya is that he's important. Almost as important as _you_ are. The fate of the Commonwealth lies in your hands. The decisions _you_ make will affect _everyone_." She paused, then smiled at Nora.

"...Of course... it doesn't hurt that both he _and_ your Paladin are awfully easy on the eyes."

Nora blinked and did a double-take at the woman.

"Mama Murphy..." she scolded playfully, holding back a grin.

"Hey - I may be old, but I'm not dead _yet_ ," she replied back. "If I was a few decades younger..."

"All right, I don't need to know," Nora laughed. Mama Murphy chuckled, then regarded Nora thoughtfully.

"Ya know - I never had kids, but if I _had_... I'd be proud if they were like you, hon."

Nora paused, touched, then leaned down and wrapped her arms around the woman in a gentle hug. "...Thank you Mama Murphy," she said softly. "I'll remember what you told me - all of it."

Mama Murphy smiled softly. "Atta girl," she replied. "Now go get your friends and do what you do best."

* * *

As Nora reached the front gate of Sanctuary, she looked down at Dogmeat - following faithfully at her heels. She was about to send him on his way, but paused as a thought hit her. After pondering for a moment, she knelt down in front of him and gently patted his head.

"Hey boy... remember when you helped me find Kellogg?" she asked him gently. "Well, now I need to try and find someone else - someone who may be in trouble and need our help. Would you like to come with me again?" Dogmeat gave her a small ' _woof_ ' and licked her cheek. She laughed and kissed the soft fur on his head. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she grinned. "Thanks, buddy. Let's get going."

She reached the vertibird and was grateful to see that Danse, Hancock, and Lancer-Knight Harris hadn't killed each other yet. Danse raised an eyebrow when he saw Dogmeat at Nora's side.

"You're bringing him with us?" he asked, his voice sounding mildly amused. Nora nodded as she patted the floor of the vertibird, and Dogmeat jumped inside to stand beside Hancock.

"Nick and I couldn't have found Kellogg without him," she explained as she heaved herself inside. "I figured, maybe he can sniff out something we can't _._ Couldn't _hurt_ , right?"

Danse felt a little skeptical for a moment, but then remembered that Nora's instincts were usually right on par. She hadn't led them astray _yet_ , so he wasn't going to argue now. Besides, the Brotherhood sometimes used dogs at the Citadel for the occasional mission, so he supposed it made sense. He nodded at her and smiled.

"Well... welcome aboard, soldier," he bantered, giving Dogmeat a small pat on his head. Dogmeat looked up at Danse and wagged his tail, giving him a small bark of appreciation.

...Lancer-Knight Harris looked a little less enthusiastic.

"He's uh... 'well-trained', right?" he asked Nora warily. Nora gave him an amused smile.

"Well... he's not gonna bite you or 'piddle' in the vertibird, if that's what you're asking," she joked. "...He _does_ do a cute impression of a bunny if you're interested, though." She heard Hancock snort behind her. Harris pursed his lips.

"I don't think that'll be nec-" Harris stopped mid-sentence when Dogmeat suddenly sat back on his hind legs and held his front paws in the air, looking indeed a bit like a rabbit scouting around in a field. Hancock burst out laughing, Harris smirked, and even Danse couldn't help chuckling and shaking his head.

"Well with _that_ ," Harris scoffed, "...are we ready to go? Where to next?"

"Diamond City," Nora replied with a smile. "We have one more person we need to pick up."

* * *

They landed near the city gate and Nora, Danse, and Dogmeat all hopped out of the vertibird. Hancock hung back, and Nora turned to face him.

"You coming?" she asked expectantly. Hancock frowned and looked uncomfortable.

"Nora... you _know_ they ain't real fond of ghouls in that town," he said hesitantly. She raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smirk.

"When has _that_ ever stopped you before?" she replied. "Hancock - you don't care what _anyone_ thinks. Why start now? Besides, you'll be with Danse, Valentine, and me - we wouldn't let anything happen to you. Even _Danse_ isn't that spiteful."

She looked at Danse and raised both her eyebrows at him, trying to silently persuade him to jump in. He frowned for a moment, then nodded with a tiny sigh.

"If a citizen is in trouble - regardless of _who_ it is - I would be obligated to respond accordingly," he agreed.

"...I feel _so_ much better," Hancock said sarcastically.

Nora felt a little unnerved. Hancock normally didn't seem afraid of _anything_ , but right now he was clearly distressed. It was... strange, to say the least. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, feeling a little antsy. She just wanted to get Nick and get to Goodneighbor, eager to find out what had happened there. She shrugged her shoulders, trying a new approach.

"It's fine if you're a little frightened-"

Hancock immediately narrowed his eyes.

"I am _not_ afraid," he huffed.

 _'Ha - bull's eye,'_ she thought.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," she said innocently. "Mayor McDonough _can_ be intimidating..."

That did the trick. A muscle tightened in Hancock's jaw. He growled as he quickly hauled himself out of the vertibird.

"McDonough can kiss my irradiated ass," he grumbled. "Let's just get Valentine and get out of here. The sooner I'm back at Goodneighbor, the better."

Danse held back a smirk as he followed them to the city entrance. _'The silver-tongued soldier does it again,'_ he thought, amused by how Nora always found a way to talk her way through anything.

As the trio (plus Dogmeat) made their way down the entrance stairs, a city guard standing at the bottom did a double-take at them.

"Hey, you know the rules - no ghouls in Diamond City," he grunted. "Get your friend outta here." Hancock narrowed his eyes at the guard and Nora quickly stepped in front of the ghoul.

"We'll be _really_ quick - we're just here to borrow Nick Valentine for a bit," she explained. The guard relaxed a little.

"Hangin' out with Valentine, huh? Good for you, Nicky's good people. ...Ah, you know what I mean." Nora nodded and smiled as the guard looked around apprehensively. "Just uh... don't be long. I don't wanna get fired for lettin' a ghoul in here."

"You got it... thank you," Nora said sincerely.

"And keep an eye on that thing," the guard said as they passed, pointing to Dogmeat. "I don't wanna hear about anybody getting bit."

* * *

Nick looked up from his desk as he heard a soft knock at his door. He smiled when he saw Nora and Danse enter, then raised his eyebrows at seeing Hancock and Dogmeat with her.

"Uh-oh..." he murmured, "why do I have the feeling that this isn't just a friendly visit?"

"Bingo," Nora said sheepishly. "We... need your help." As she quickly recounted what had happened at Goodneighbor, Nick's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Amari's _gone_?" he repeated. "Boy... not that I'd want it to happen to _anyone_ , but she's definitely not a mind I'd want being controlled by the Institute - or _whoever_ might have taken her. That's assuming she _was_ taken, that is - but from what you told me, it doesn't sound like she left _willingly_." He rubbed his jaw with his flesh-covered hand as he pondered the facts.

"The question is - _why?_ "

He stood up and pushed his chair in. "I'm in," he said. Nora nodded and gave him a pat on the arm.

"Thanks Nick," she said. "I'd better check in with Piper before we go, or she'll never let me hear the end of it."Piper couldn't help laughing a little as Nora and the others entered the 'Publick Occurrences' office. "Wow Blue... quite a gang you've got with you today," she jested. "And you're actually _wearing_ blue this time... what, are we gonna go raid McDonough's office?" Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh _please_ say 'yes'!"

"Sorry Piper," Nora chuckled, "...to make a longer story short, Dr. Amari went missing and her lab got trashed. We gotta borrow Nick and see if we can figure out what happened - but I didn't know if you'd heard or seen anything unusual?"

Piper shook her head. "Nope, sorry Blue. Nothing since you brought your _other_ buddy here last time." Her eyes suddenly took on a mischievous glint. "You know, I'm _still_ waiting for you to bring El-"

"Alright Piper, alright," Nora interrupted quickly, pursing her lips. She could have sworn she heard Nick chuckle behind her. "By the way-" she turned and gestured towards Hancock, deciding a change of subject was overdue. "Hancock, Piper Wright. Piper - this is John Hancock. He's-"

"The mayor of Goodneighbor," Piper said, looking him up and down. "I've heard of you."

"Only good things, I hope " Hancock smirked.

"Depends on your definition of 'good'," she smirked back. "Nice to meet you. If I were you, I wouldn't let McDonough catch you here, though."

Hancock visibly bristled and Nora cleared her throat.

"Yeah... we were just heading out anyway. Try to stay out of trouble, okay Piper?"

"Out of trouble? Where's the fun in _that_?" she scoffed.

Nora smiled and waved as she and the others headed out of the office and made their way to the city exit. The guard by the stairs shook his head a little as they approached.

"You sure keep some weird company, lady. Androids, reporters, ghouls, soldiers, dogs... know any gorillas? Heh heh!"

Nora snickered and shook her head as they passed him, but she had to admit - her little 'band of allies' was definitely... unique. And seemingly growing all the time.

* * *

As the vertibird landed near Goodneighbor, Nora turned to Lancer-Knight Harris before hopping out.

"I'm not sure how long we're gonna be here... it's probably best if you head back to the Prydwen," she said. "We'll use a signal grenade if we need a pickup. And... thank you, Harris. Danse and I really do appreciate your help." Danse nodded at him and Harris nodded back with a small smile.

"No problem. Best of luck to you both. Ad victoriam."

"Ad victoriam," Danse and Nora echoed back as they climbed out - Nick, Hancock, and Dogmeat jumping down beside them. As they ventured into Goodneighbor, a grin came over Hancock's face.

"Ahh... home sweet home," he murmured. Nick scoffed beside him.

"Goodneighbor... lowest place in the Commonwealth. Everything not nailed down rolls through here at some point."

"Aww... you're breakin' my heart here, Valentine," Hancock chuckled at him. He turned to look at Nora and Danse. "I'm gonna have a chat with some people, let 'em know to keep your military background to themselves. I'll meet you guys later, let you know if I happen to discover anything."

They both nodded at him and he headed off down the street. Nora then turned towards Nick.

"I suppose we should start at the Memory Den, see if we can find anything interesting," she said. Nick nodded back, and the four of them walked down the street and around the corner towards the Memory Den.

Nora's eyes flickered around aimlessly at the surroundings as they approached the building, and she stopped short as one of the drifters outside caught her eye. He was bald, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and wore clothing similar to the other wastelanders... but it was his dark sunglasses that gave her pause. Danse noticed that Nora had stopped and looked at her curiously.

"...Nora? What is it?" He followed her gaze and slowly narrowed his eyes when he saw the drifter. "...Is that... who I _think_ it is?" he murmured quietly to Nora. She shook her head in disbelief and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know _why_ I'm surprised," she muttered back, and walked over to the drifter. He turned his head towards her as she approached.

"What's up?" he asked nonchalantly.

" 'What's up'?" Nora repeated skeptically. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I don't know what you mean. Everyone's welcome in Goodneighbor, even me." He took a cigarette pack out of his pocket and offered one to Nora and Danse, who both shook their heads. Nick took one, however, a hint of a smile playing upon his face.

"I suppose it's no coincidence that _you're_ here," he said to the man, who lit Nick's, then his own cigarette with a lighter from his pocket and shrugged.

"I'm just a simple wastelander, just like you folks. Just tryin' to get by."

Danse snorted and shook his head in disbelief. Nora raised an eyebrow at Nick, unaware that he was also familiar with the Railroad agent. She frowned and spoke quietly just in case.

"Can it, Deacon. I may not know you very well, but I know that Dr. Amari helped the Railroad out occasionally. If _you're_ here, I'm sure you're aware that she's _not_. It's your job to 'know things', right? Spill."

His dark glasses stared at Nora silently for a few moments, the tendril of smoke from his cigarette curling around his face and into the air above them. Finally, he sighed softly and shook his head.

"Sorry 'Charmer' - I'm afraid I don't know much more than _you_ do this time. I was kinda hoping you could give _me_ an answer or two to take back to Dez."

"...'Charmer'?" Nora replied dryly, raising an eyebrow at him. He grinned back at her.

"Almost everyone in the Railroad has a codename to go by, for safety's sake. I picked one out for you, just in case you ever felt like joining. ...The name seemed appropriate, seeing how charismatic you are sometimes."

Danse couldn't help chuckling a little, slightly amused that someone else had picked up on that - even _if_ he still didn't trust Deacon any farther than he could throw him. Nora took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.

"Alright... fine. We were just about to take a look around the Memory Den ourselves. You're welcome to join us. Who knows - it wouldn't kill us to have another set of eyes along anyway."

Deacon took a long drag from his cigarette and flicked it away with a smile.

"Sounds like a party. Count me in."

* * *

As the five of them rounded the entryway to the main room of the Memory Den, Nora gasped at the sight in front of her. The place was... definitely trashed. It looked like some of the buildings she and Danse had explored when she'd first joined the Brotherhood - places that had been ripped apart and scavenged by raiders, gunners, mutants, and anyone else trying to claim any resources available.

The memory loungers and electrical consoles still looked largely intact (as far as Nora could tell), but the rest of the furniture was wrecked and strewn about. The only sounds for the next few moments were their footsteps on the creaking wooden floor and Dogmeat's panting beside Nora.

She got to the middle of the room and looked all around, trying to see if anything in particular stood out. She turned towards Nick, who had stopped beside her and was also glancing around.

"Well... what do you think?" she asked him softly. "...Institute?" Nick's lips pressed together to form a thin line.

"Mmm..." he hummed, sounding hesitant.

"Call me crazy, but... I don't think this was their work," Deacon chimed in, leaning down to examine some of the broken furniture. Danse turned towards him, narrowing his eyes.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked suspiciously.

Deacon straightened up again, and Nora was surprised by the pensive look on the man's face.

"Well... the Railroad and I have had a lot of run-ins with the Institute and their Coursers. ...More than I like to think about, actually. I've seen what kind of damage they typically cause, especially over _one_ person - and this isn't it. The Institute is a lot... 'cleaner'. More 'strategic'. They only do what they absolutely have to, and then leave. Even if they were looking for some _thing_ and not some _one_ \- they usually try to leave the place mostly intact. They're not really ones for making a huge mess of things. ...They're almost 'classy' about it, if you can believe that."

"Hmm. ...You may have something there, Deacon," Nick murmured. Nora and Danse watched him stride forward, his head moving back and forth as he surveyed the damage while he walked. "Whoever did this... they trashed all the furniture here, but not the technological stuff. There's not a scratch on those. _Why?_ " He took a puff from his cigarette, held between his claw-like metal fingers.

"It's almost as if... the furniture is a distraction, a cover for what the perpetrator was _really_ after. Whether that was Amari, or something _else_ and Amari just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - that's _another_ mystery."

Danse raised his eyebrows at the detective. "You think someone was trying to frame the Institute - or someone _else_ \- for this?"

"It's possible. Hard to know for sure..." Nick paused when he spotted the terminal for the loungers in the back of the room. He walked over to it and leaned forward, peering at the screen for a second before typing a bit on the keyboard.

The others slowly made their way towards him, Nora reaching him first. She gently placed a hand on his back and leaned over his shoulder.

"Anything?" she asked hopefully. Nick sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing... I think she may have wiped this one clean before she went missing." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

"There _is_ another terminal in her lab downstairs, though... let's check it out. It might give us the answer we're looking for."

* * *

FUN FACT: When Arthur is speaking with Prydwen Command (heading back with Nora), the vertibird designation that he mentions is 'DP-76 Charlie Tango'. I picked this from both Derek Phillips (the voice of Arthur Maxson in the game) and Courtenay Taylor (the voice of Nora/the female Sole Survivor). ...Yeah, I like throwing little things like this into my fic every so often. ^_^


	27. Chapter 27 - Revelations, Part 2

As she walked into Dr. Amari's lab, a chill went down Nora's spine. The last time she was here, she was wiping the tears off of her face and trying not to hyperventilate - not _only_ from reliving what happened in Vault 111, but also her confrontation with Kellogg at Fort Hagen. Danse saw Nora stiffen and was at her side in an instant.

"...Are you alright?" he murmured quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and smiled weakly at him.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks."

He looked doubtful, but nodded after a moment.

Like upstairs, both memory loungers and the equipment in the lab looked untouched, but the little furniture that was down there had been thrown about and damaged. They all glanced around the room, but there didn't seem to be anything that might give them any useful information.

Nick tried again to access the terminal behind the loungers, but soon grunted and shook his head.

"No luck... it's too well protected. If there's anything useful in here, Amari didn't want anyone to find it."

Nora pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then moved beside him and patted his shoulder. "Let me give it a shot... I've had a little experience with this sort of thing before." Nick shrugged and moved aside for her.

"Be my guest."

She tapped her fingers on the keyboard, her eyes darting back and forth across the screen as she made keystrokes with precision. The other men watched her patiently, then raised their eyebrows when she give a tiny chuckle.

"Ha! I'm in," she grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Piece of cake."

"Nice work," Danse said from behind her, sounding impressed. "I've seen scribes take longer than that to hack a terminal."

"I learned a lot more than just law in college," she joked. Danse and Deacon scrunched their brows up in confusion at her words and she shook her head. "...Never mind."

"...Find anything useful?" Nick asked her hopefully. She chewed on her bottom lip as she skimmed the terminal's information and shook her head.

"Nothing yet... diagnostic info about the loungers, basic stuff about the Memory Den... but nothing that informative or helpful." She continued to type for a while, then frowned.

"Damn... there's one other file here, but I can't get through without some kind of password." She looked from Nick to Deacon.

"You guys knew Dr. Amari at least a little better than Danse and I... do you know if she kept anything else down here? Work notes, or any kind of records?"

Deacon shook his head. "She's one of a kind... keeps most of her information in her head. Probably to protect her work with the Railroad. There _is_ a terminal in Irma's room that has information on some of the Memory Den's clients, but trust me - there's nothing that useful on it."

Nick and Nora stared at Deacon for a couple seconds with raised eyebrows. Deacon looked confused at their expressions, then held his hands up innocently as he realized how that must have sounded.

"Woah woah, nothing like _that_ ," he affirmed, "I just... did a little snooping one day. My job to know stuff, remember?"

Nora _tsk_ 'ed and shook her head. "Do you _always_ go prying into other people's business?" she huffed. Deacon gave her his usual mischievous grin.

"It's what I do," he shrugged. She groaned and rubbed her forehead as she straightened up once more, turning off the terminal.

"Does she keep any personal belongings here?" she asked no one in particular. "Maybe Dogmeat can get a scent, like with Kellogg."

They searched around the room, but there didn't seem to be anything remotely personal or useful in sight. Nora looked down at Dogmeat, who looked back up at her and whimpered softly as he sat down.

"Great," Danse murmured. "Now what?"

Nick sighed and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

"Well... why don't we stake out the Third Rail, see if we can squeeze something out of someone. Maybe Charlie's heard something helpful."

Danse and Nora both grunted - Nora because Whitechapel Charlie was just about the surliest Mister Handy she'd ever come across, and Danse because he definitely wasn't a fan of _any_ part of that seedy bar. Neither one of them looked forward to this solution, but they knew Arthur was depending on them. They looked at each other and heaved a sigh.

"All right... let's check it out," Nora said.

"And _that's_ my cue to exit," Deacon chimed in with a smile. The others turned to him, surprise on their faces.

"What, that's it?" Nora asked him incredulously. "No easy answers, so you cut out and let _us_ do all the work?"

"...Pretty much, yeah."

Danse scowled and crossed his arms, Nora stared daggers at him, and Nick rolled his eyes and took another puff of his cigarette. Deacon chuckled and held his hands up again.

"All right, all right. The truth is, I actually have somewhere else I gotta be. When you work for the Railroad, you're always busy - especially when you're _me_. But if you find anything out, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me in the loop."

"Let me guess - you'll find _me_?" Nora asked him dryly.

"Bingo," he said, pointing a finger at her. He laughed softly at the three collective sighs he got in reply.

* * *

Whitechapel Charlie hovered in his usual spot behind the bar, cleaning a dirty glass mug with his metal appendages. As Nick approached him, one of Charlie's eyes fixed on the detective while the other two continued to point in opposite directions.

"What's up, Charlie?" Nick asked the Mister Handy.

"Valentine. You actually gonna _buy_ something this time?"

Nick chuckled softly and shook his head. "It'll be a chilly day in hell before I buy any of _your_ swill."

"Then make way for paying customers. Got no tolerance for freeloaders here."

Nora held back with Danse, glancing around at the bar's inhabitants whilst Dogmeat sat at her heels. Her eyes flickered from the synth detective to the Cockney robot, only for Charlie's eye to lock onto her and Danse. He stared at them for a couple seconds before speaking again, his voice a little quieter.

"You two - you're becomin' quite the regulars." His eye looked Nora up and down. "You still wearing _that_ get up, then? Well, the beer still tastes the same - like shit. Want a pint, mates?"

Danse wrinkled his nose, and Nora chewed on her bottom lip to keep from chuckling. She smiled and shrugged at Charlie.

"Sure, I'll buy a drink."

"Good on ya. What's your poison?"

Nora pulled a few caps out of her bag. "Whatcha got?"

"Let's see... Gwinnett ale, Nuka Cola... if you're feeling brave - or perhaps _suicidal_ \- we've also got 'Bobrov's Best Moonshine'."

Nora quickly shook her head, remembering Piper warning her before about Vadim's beverage.

"A couple Nuka Colas will be great, thanks Charlie."

He placed a couple bottles on the counter as Nora plunked some caps down.

"It ain't no Mandolin Lager... but it's cold, it's wet, and guaranteed rad-free. It'll give you a jolt in all the right circuits," Charlie said. He turned his eye back towards Nick. "And before you ask - I haven't seen or heard nothin' unusual... nothin' unusual for _Goodneighbor_ , that is."

Nora and Nick nodded their thanks as she grabbed the bottles, and the four of them headed to a couch towards the back of the bar. Nora took a seat between Danse and Nick, while Dogmeat sat at their feet.

"So... say we can't find anything out here today," she began, talking to no one in particular. " _Then_ what? What do we do next?"

"Well first of all, _don't_ open those with your teeth," Danse replied dryly, taking both bottles away from her. She grinned sheepishly as he knocked the caps off with the side of the table in front of them, then handed one of the bottles back to her, keeping the other for himself.

"...You open them with your _teeth_?" Nick asked her in disbelief, his eyes widening.

"I... was hoping you forgot about that," laughed Nora, taking the bottle from Danse with a grateful nod.

"Hmm. _Second_ of all," continued Danse, "it would be unfortunate if we left Goodneighbor with no new information - but in the _event_ of such an occurrence, we would just have to continue on with our mission to the Glowing Sea and dealing with the Institute, and keep our eyes and ears open for anything else that happens in the meantime."

Nick nodded. "And if I hear anything myself, you can be sure I'll keep you two updated."

Nora was silent for a few moments as she drank her Nuka Cola. Her gaze shifted from one corner of the bar to the other, examining every person in sight. She wondered if one of these people - just _one_ of them - knew more than they were letting on. Danse raised an eyebrow as he watched her.

"...Bottlecap for your thoughts?" he asked her softly. She shook her head slightly, her instincts going to work.

"I dunno... it just doesn't seem to make sense. Someone goes to the Memory Den shortly after our mission there and asks Dr. Amari for technical information on the memory loungers - what they are, how they work. Asks her about you and I _specifically_. Makes _sure_ he covers himself in raider gear from head to toe, so as to leave pretty much _nothing_ visible. _Why?_ There's all _kinds_ of shifty characters here in Goodneighbor - why did he need to disguise himself?" She rubbed a temple in frustration as she went on.

"Was he someone Amari would recognize? A person that someone _else_ in Goodneighbor might recognize? Either way, he made sure _no one_ could ID him. When Amari doesn't cooperate, he leaves. Then awhile later, the Memory Den is ransacked and Amari goes missing. The technical equipment's all fine, but the furniture's wrecked."

She sighed and held her palms upwards, as if that would make the answer appear in front of her. "...What does it all _mean?_ "

Danse patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I wish we knew. It's very strange." Nick nodded and looked around the room as well.

"Someone has to know _something_ ," he mused. "How could a building be ransacked, and _no one_ know anything about it? I'm with you, kid - it doesn't make any sense."

Nora's eyes landed on a few customers at the bar in front of them. She took a deep breath and quickly finished her drink.

"Why don't we separate - take different parts of the room, I mean. See if we can't overhear something in passing. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will slip up." She stood up from the couch and gestured with a nod of her head. "I'll take the bar... then we can meet up again in a little bit, see what we've got?" The other two nodded, and Nick gave her a slight smile.

"Best of luck, kid."

She nodded back and made her way to the bar, taking a seat next to a person wearing a long, dark coat with the hood up, hiding most of their face. She peeked at the person out of the corner of her eye - a woman, she saw. Nora caught a small glimpse of copper hair and pale, freckled skin. Her eyes returned forward again as Charlie hovered over to her.

"Another drink for ya?" he asked. Nora paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Gwinnett ale," she replied, pulling out a few more caps. "So... nothing new, Whitechapel?" The Mister Handy huffed at her, sounding annoyed as usual.

"I'm a bartender, not a damn newsbot."

He pushed a bottle towards her and moved further down the bar to check on the other customers.

 _'_ _There's_ _the surly bartender I remember,'_ she thought. She placed some caps down with her right hand and reached out to take the bottle with her left. As she did, she noticed the hooded woman's head turn slightly towards her.

"...You're a vault dweller," a young, soft voice murmured. More of a statement than a question.. Nora chuckled quietly and tugged at the front of her vault suit.

"Yeah... the blue suit's what gave me away, right?"

The woman shook her head. "Not quite... those actually aren't as hard to get as you'd think. Anyone can just _wear_ one of those if they want one badly enough. I was talking about _that_." She pointed a finger towards Nora's left wrist, where her Pip-Boy lay. "Those are... kind of rare."

"It's not for sale," Nora mumbled, and - after a quick look around to make sure Danse wasn't watching - stuck the top of the bottle in her mouth, gripped it with her back teeth, and snapped the cap off. The woman chuckled softly as Nora spit the cap back out.

"I don't want to _buy_ it... just making an observation." The woman paused, then leaned her left arm towards Nora. "Besides... I wouldn't need _two_." She pushed the sleeve of her coat up a little, and Nora could see part of a weathered-looking Pip-Boy sticking out. Nora froze, then turned towards the woman, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"... _You're_ a vault dweller?" she asked. The woman let her sleeve fall back down and pulled her arm back, taking her time replying.

"I... _used_ to be. ...A long time ago."

Nora remembered Brooks mentioning the other vaults when she'd first met him - something about how Vault-Tec would use some of them to experiment on the inhabitants for their own 'scientific curiosity'. She ground her teeth together for a moment at the thought of it.

"Did they do anything... 'unusual' there?" Nora asked hesitantly. "In your vault, I mean. Vault-Tec... I'd heard that in some of the vaults..." she trailed off, not quite sure how to ask delicately. The woman paused again, then nodded her head.

"Our vault was to stay closed _indefinitely_ , in order to study the Overseers when a vault _never_ opened. The limited genetic material would've eventually resulted in inbreeding, had no 'new blood' ever entered."

"So _you're_ -" Nora immediately stopped herself, realizing she was about to get extremely personal and didn't want to be rude. The corner of the woman's mouth twisted upwards in amusement.

" _Inbred_?" she laughed softly. "No. My parents were actually from _outside_ the vault. It's... a long story." She sighed and shook her head. "Vault-Tec just wanted to... 'see what would happen', as was the case with _many_ of their vaults, unfortunately." She scoffed bitterly. "...All in the name of science, _right_?"

 _'_ _Tell me about it,'_ Nora thought sourly, and took a long drink of her beer. The woman said nothing for several seconds, then turned to face her, finally allowing her face to become fully visible. Nora spotted blue eyes beneath auburn hair, freckles scattered across her porcelain face. The woman appeared to be in her late 20s, maybe early 30s. She gave Nora what looked like a sympathetic expression.

"What about you?" she asked. "Did they do anything to _your_ vault?"

A flood of memories hit Nora all at once and she gripped the bottle tightly, the cool glass under her palm reminding her of... other cold things. She opened her mouth to reply and paused, remembering why she was in the Third Rail in the first place.

This woman seemed kindly... but there was no telling what kind of person she was, or what had happened in her past - long ago _or_ recently. Hancock had said the person that initially interrogated Amari was a man, but that didn't mean he didn't have any accomplices... right? She had to keep her identity secret, just in case. She cleared her throat and tried to think on her feet.

"...They-"

"Vault 111." The woman's eyes had glanced to the back of Nora's vault suit, and Nora froze again.

 _'_ _Shit,'_ she thought, panicking a little. _'_ _Does she know that vault number? Me and my big ideas... maybe I should have just dressed as an ordinary wastelander, like Danse...'_

To Nora's surprise, the woman actually chuckled. "Small world," she murmured. Nora blinked, thrown off for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry?" she stammered. The woman shook her head, as if she'd been lost in thought.

"Oh, sorry - it's just similar to _my_ vault number. Just kind of funny - two peas in a pod. Anyway - you were saying?"

Nora was about to speak again when Charlie hovered back over to her.

"Well... now that you're liquored up, I got a proposition for ya," he said quietly. "I need a dirty girl to do some dirty, dirty work. Blood on the pavement. Bodies in the ground. That kind of thing. Interested?"

"Uh..." Nora said, feeling thrown off again. She wasn't sure if she was glad for the interruption or annoyed by it. "...What _kind_ of work?"

"I got a certain anonymous client who's payin' top dollar for a cleanup job. Three locations. Everyone inside. No witnesses."

A soft laugh came from the woman. Charlie and Nora both turned to look at her as she held up a finger to interrupt.

"Actually... if you're talking about what I _think_ you're talking about... _I_ already cleaned those warehouses out," the woman said.

"What?" Charlie asked incredulously. "You always in the habit of shootin' up random locations? And here I was just gettin' to my favorite bit... fine, fine. At least it's done." He placed a bag on top of the counter. "Here's your scratch, 300." Nora raised an eyebrow as the woman grinned devilishly at him.

" _Three_ locations? You know, that was a lot of time... a lot of bullets..."

Charlie grumbled for a moment. "Givin' me a right kick in the Alberts... we'll make it 400, but that's as high as I'm goin'."

"Deal." The woman nodded, watching as Charlie added more caps to the bag before placing it into the pack beside her stool. Charlie hovered away again, and the woman did a double-take when she saw Nora staring at her.

"...Who _are_ you?" Nora asked her, somewhat amused. The woman smiled gently.

"You can call me... Catherine," she said. "Just passing through the area, doing the odd job here or there... I'm sure you know how it is."

"Yeah... you could say that," Nora murmured. She hesitated, not wanting to give out her own name, just in case. _'_ _Need a name, need a name...'_ she thought quickly. _'_ _...Alright mom, you're going in.'_

"I'm... Kathleen," she finished before she could think twice, holding a hand out. The woman - 'Catherine' - slowly raised an eyebrow.

"Kathleen," Catherine repeated, not sounding wholly convinced. Nora resisted the urge to wince.

 _'_ _Way to think on your feet, Nora,'_ she chastised herself. _'_ _On the other hand, I doubt that Catherine is actually her_ _name too...'_ However, Catherine shook her hand regardless.

"Cat and Kat," she joked. "Former vault dwellers. Similar vault numbers. Like I said - two peas in a pod."

Nora chuckled softly. "So... where in Boston was your vault? The _Commonwealth_ , I mean," she quickly added when Catherine raised an eyebrow at her once more. _'_ _Urgh... idiot,'_ she scolded herself again. Catherine paused, then shook her head.

"...Not in the Commonwealth. In the Capital Wasteland, actually."

 _'_ _DC?'_ Nora thought. _'_ _I wonder if Danse or Arthur would know anything about it.'_

"I've never been," she said. "Though I've heard the creatures there are even worse than _here_. A friend of mine... he's originally from that area. He told me about this one thing that sounded absolutely _monstrous_ \- some kind of creature that's a mutated human with multiple limbs that spits acid, or something like that-"

"Sounds like a centaur," Catherine cut in. Nora nodded and Catherine shivered a little. "Those things are godawful," she muttered. "Not the _most_ dangerous of creatures there, but nightmarish all the same. I'm definitely glad they don't have those up here."

Nora paused and decided to push her luck a little bit. "Do... they have anything like the _Institute_ in D- the Capital Wasteland?" she asked. "I assume you've heard of them by now." Catherine shook her head.

"The Capital Wasteland had its own brand of evil, but nothing quite like _that_. Now it's just the usual - mutants, feral ghouls, raiders..." her voice quieted, as if she were thinking aloud again. "...overzealous bastards seeking power..."

Nora raised an eyebrow and pushed a little further. "So... how long have you been in the Goodneighbor area for?"

"Not long... I just got here a little while ago. Not quite sure where to go from here, y'know? Kind of... trying to find my own place."

Nora scoffed quietly. "I know what _that's_ like," she said softly. "Have you... heard of anything unusual happening around the area? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Unusual? Out of the _ordinary_?" Catherine asked. She laughed and shook her head. "That's all that _ever_ happens nowadays... pretty much _anywhere_. People go missing, some of them come back but act differently, others are just never heard from again. People are constantly fighting over food or territory, or something as simple as supplies... how could one tell what's unusual and what's _'_ _normal'_ anymore?"

She paused, then looked over at Nora, a mischievous smile suddenly on her face. "...You seem awfully curious about current events for an 'ordinary vault dweller', you know."

Nora tried to keep her face blank, but felt her heart pound a little.

 _'_ _Shit... I used to be much better at this...'_

Catherine's smile turned into a grin. "So I guess my question for _you_ is... have _you_ seen or heard anything unusual in the area lately?"

 _'_ _Think think think think think...'_

"Well... I heard a couple of drifters outside talking," Nora started. She tried to look more naive as she glanced around quickly and leaned towards Catherine, lowering her voice a bit. "They said that the Memory Den got ransacked... the doctor that worked there vanished. No one seems to know where she is. The drifters seemed a little concerned that maybe Goodneighbor isn't safe anymore." She leaned back again and shrugged nonchalantly.

"I mean... as safe as Goodneighbor _usually_ is. It's just kind of a shame, is all... I heard you can relive past memories with the machines there. Seems kinda cool."

 _'_ _That's not how you felt when you_ _used it,'_ her conscience said, but she pushed the annoying thought aside. She was a little surprised when Catherine frowned and looked away from her.

"That kind of technology... seems kinda dangerous, don't you think?" Catherine murmured softly. Nora tried to keep her face blank.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, think about it... these machines have the power to look into your brain and pull out specific memories, make you see them again as if you're _actually_ reliving them. If they can take images _out_ of your brain..." Catherine turned back towards Nora, a wary expression on her face, "...what's to stop someone from putting images _into_ your brain?"

A shiver went down Nora's spine.

"It... sounds like you know a little bit about that sort of thing," she said carefully. Catherine didn't reply right away. After what felt like a long pause, she took a deep breath.

"Vault-Tec may have prevented some people from dying before the Great War... but it's also responsible for some pretty heinous, despicable acts."

Nora felt her face tighten, and Catherine stared at her for a moment.

"...You never _did_ tell me what happened in _your_ vault," she murmured quietly.

Nora swallowed hard and opened her mouth to reply when suddenly there was a thump at her other side. She glanced over to see that Danse had taken the empty stool next to her.

"Well _this_ has been an uneventful day," he murmured in a sullen tone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Catherine's eyes widen and her head immediately snap in the other direction, her body stiffening. Nora narrowed her eyes at her curiously but Danse caught her attention again, lowering the volume of his voice.

"If anyone knows anything, they're not talking - at least not around _me_ ," he said quietly. "How about you?"

She turned to look back at Catherine - then did a double-take as she realized the other woman had vanished. Nora whipped her head around, almost giving herself whiplash as she tried to see where she had gone - to no avail.

"...What is it?" she heard Danse ask.

"She's gone!" Nora said, still looking around the bar.

"She? She _who_?"

Nora turned to look at Danse and sighed, feeling like she just lost the _only_ lead they might possibly have had.

"The woman that was sitting next to me," she replied, her words becoming a bit frenzied. "She said her name was 'Catherine', but I doubt that was her _real_ name. She was a vault dweller like me. A long time ago, she said. She even had a Pip-Boy, too. She told me she was from the Capital Wasteland. I think she might have known something-"

Danse raised his eyebrows and and gripped Nora's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"Woah woah, easy soldier. Slow down. Another vault dweller? ...From the Capital Wasteland?" he asked in surprise. "...I wonder what she's doing _here_." He blinked, finally registering her final statement. "...You think she knew something?"

"Maybe not about what happened at the Memory Den... but when I mentioned the loungers, it seemed to strike some kind of chord with her." Nora paused and thought for a moment. "Do you know anything about the vaults in the Capital Wasteland?"

Danse was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not a lot. Only what I've heard from other people, mostly members of the Brotherhood. But I _do_ know that only a couple of them are still operational. ...Do you know if Vault-Tec was-" He hesitated, not wanting to be insensitive to Nora. "-running any experiments on her vault? Like yours?" He looked at her sympathetically, and she thought back to her previous conversation for a moment.

"Hmm... she said something about... studying the Overseers over time if a vault _never_ opened. She mentioned that her parents were from _outside_ her vault." Nora blinked as she noticed a strange expression coming over his face. "...Danse?" she asked cautiously. "...What is it?" He stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Did she... say _which_ vault she came from?"

Nora narrowed her eyes at him curiously, but thought again for a second.

"She didn't say... but she _did_ mention that it was similar to _my_ vault number."

 _'_ _A vault number similar to 111...'_ Danse thought, his posture straightening on the stool. He fought to keep his face blank. _'_ _It couldn't_ _be. No one's heard from her_ _in over... 5 years or so. Some even say she died. But... lived in a vault... parents from outside_ _the vault... and the vault studying the Overseers... it just couldn't_ _be. It's totally impossible - right?'_ He nearly jumped when Nora gently placed a hand over one of his.

"Danse? You look like you've seen a ghost." She stared at him in concern. "Talk to me - is there something I should know?" He paused for a long moment, then shook his head.

"I... I'm not sure..."

Nora narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Danse-"

" _So._ "

They both jumped slightly at the voice and turned to see Nick sitting on the stool previously occupied by Catherine, Dogmeat sat at his feet.

"I didn't have much luck myself - not that I really expected a synth and his dog to overhear much," Nick said dryly.

Danse sighed quietly, grateful for the interruption and - for once - glad to see the synth detective. He mentally shrugged off his concern, refusing to let his imagination run away from him.

 _'_ _It's impossible,'_ he thought. _'_ _Nora must have misunderstood... it's just a coincidence.'_

"It was a bit of a long shot anyway," he admitted. "I suppose there isn't much left to do but continue on with our duties and hope we hear something one way or the other." Nora frowned at his words.

 _'_ _There was something on his mind...'_ she thought. _'_ _I'll have to pick his brain later.'_

"So that's it?" she asked dejectedly. "We just give up and hope that Amari isn't dead?" Danse frowned back at her.

"There's nothing else we _can_ do, Nora," he reminded her patiently. "We have no other leads, and nothing or no one else to help us track her down."

"Well... that's not... _technically_ true..." Nick said slowly. Nora turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Nick took a hesitant breath. "There's a guy in Goodneighbor that _might_ be able to help us out, but... I don't know if you're going to like it. And I _really_ don't think _you're_ going to like it," he added, eyeing Danse out of the corner of his eye. Danse narrowed his eyes at the synth, while Nora elbowed Nick jokingly.

"What could be worse than a synth detective or a ghoul mayor?" she joked. Another pause from Nick.

"...An ex-Gunner mercenary for hire."

"Ohhh no," Danse said quickly, holding his hands up. "I don't think _that_ is our solution." Nora took a deep breath and rubbed the skin between her eyes.

"...I don't think we really have too many other options, Danse," she murmured reluctantly. "If we wanna find Amari, or at least find out what _happened_ to her, we should at least _try_. Remember what kind of knowledge that woman has? Who knows what someone could do with it?"

Danse scowled at the two of them. "How do we know we could even _trust_ this man?" he protested. "You _know_ what Gunners are like. For all we know, he could sell us out to someone else, or shoot us the second we stop paying him - _or_ if someone else decides to pay him _more_. It goes without saying that mercenaries are dangerous. It's a big risk - one that I think we'd be foolish to take."

"Yes... but one I think we _need_ to take," Nora countered. "Look at it _this_ way: we're two soldiers who not only work well together, but form a formidable duo that's defeated everything the Commonwealth's thrown at us. If this guy _does_ mean us any harm, I almost feel sorry for whatever happens to him. But if he works out, we can find Amari - or maybe at least _information_ \- and put a stop to whatever crazy crap some moron has planned."

"For what it's worth," Nick chimed in, "I don't know a _lot_ about this guy... but from what I've heard, he seems 'on the level'. He left the gunners because he didn't like their methods, so clearly money isn't _absolutely_ everything to him - that has to count for _something_ , right?"

Nora looked at Danse expectantly. He said nothing for a moment, then sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.

"Let it go on the record that I am _totally_ against this," he grumbled.

"Noted," Nora replied, a hint of a smile on her face. She turned back to Nick. "Where can we find him?"

Nick pointed to a room in the back corner of the bar with a wooden sign hanging over the door, the letters 'VIP' crudely painted on it. Coincidentally, two tough-looking men were entering the room.

"Hmm. Looks like we might have some competition. C'mon Dogmeat," Nora said. The dog's head perked up immediately and he wagged his tail, excited to be addressed. Nora looked from Danse to Nick.

"Why don't you guys give me a head start?" she suggested. "If Dogmeat and I don't come back out for a bit, at least I'll know someone will have our back."

Nick nodded at her while Danse's scowl deepened, but after a second he nodded as well.

* * *

"Can't say I'm surprised to find you in a dump like this, MacCready."

MacCready rolled his eyes as the two Gunners stood in front of his chair. These clowns again? He supposed it was only a matter of time before they found him... he'd just secretly hoped that they _wouldn't_.

"I was wondering how long it'd take your bloodhounds to track me down, Winlock," he said. "It's been almost three months... don't tell me you're getting rusty." He narrowed his eyes, trying to look more threatening than he felt. "Should we take this outside?" The bigger Gunner shook his head, a coy smile playing at his lips.

"It ain't like that. I'm just here to deliver a message."

"In case you forgot, I left the gunners for _good_ ," MacCready replied.

"Yeah, I heard. But you're still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn't going to work for us."

MacCready scoffed and slowly rose out of his chair, straightening his posture to appear tall, even though _both_ Gunners stood taller than him.

"I don't take orders from you... not anymore. So why don't you take your girlfriend and walk outta here while you still can."

The other Gunner, Barnes, gaped at MacCready. "What?! Winlock, tell me we don't have to listen to this shit..."

Winlock narrowed his eyes at the mercenary, his patience growing thin. "Listen up, MacCready - the _only_ reason we haven't filled your body full of bullets is that we don't want a war with Goodneighbor. See, we respect other people's boundaries... we know how to play the game. It's something _you_ never learned."

"Glad to have disappointed you," sneered MacCready. He blinked as he realized that a German Shepherd had appeared behind Winlock, sniffing the Gunner's hand silently. _'_ _...Was that dog with him the whole time?'_ he wondered.

"You can play the tough guy all you want. But if we hear you're still operating in Gunner territory, all bets are off. You got that?" Winlock growled.

"You finished?" MacCready huffed impatiently. Winlock paused, then nodded.

"Yeah, we're finished. Come on, Barnes." He jumped when he noticed the dog behind him and yanked his hand back as if to strike it. "Hey! Back off, mutt!" The dog backed up a few paces and bared his teeth at the Gunner, a low growl emanating from its mouth.

"HEY!"

As the Gunners turned towards the voice, MacCready leaned around them to see a slim woman in a vault suit standing in the doorway, staring daggers at Winlock.

"Touch my dog and you'll be sorry," the woman snarled at him.

Winlock's jaw dropped as he stared at her for a moment, then slowly grinned as he looked her up and down.

"Oh really?" he drawled. " _You're_ threatening _me_ , sweet cheeks?" The woman's eyes narrowed even more.

"That was _hardly_ a threat," she said, stepping further into the room. The dog stopped growling at Winlock long enough to trot back over to her side, then bared his teeth at him again. She stopped a few feet in front of him.

"Touch my dog, and I'll have him turn you _and_ your buddy from men to eunuchs with one snap of my fingers." She paused, then smiled sweetly at him. "... _That_ was a threat. See the difference?"

All three men raised their eyebrows in surprise, then Winlock and Barnes narrowed their eyes dangerously.

"Lady... you have _no_ idea who you're messing with," Barnes said threateningly, taking a couple steps towards her. MacCready held back a groan.

 _'_ _Ugh, I don't wanna fight these two idiots today...'_ he thought dejectedly. _'_ _I'm already trying not to pi- tick off the Gunners as it is.'_

The woman appeared unconcerned, her smile growing into a grin. That unnerved MacCready a bit.

 _'_ _Either this vault dweller is naive to the point of being stupid, or she's really dangerous and these two are about to have their as- butts handed to them,'_ he thought, anxious to see where this was going. He didn't really get a chance to see what the woman could do though, because suddenly a muscular-looking wastelander appeared in the doorway.

"Is there a problem here?" the man asked in a deep voice, and the gunners' eyes snapped towards the intruder. The man walked forward and stopped right behind the woman, who hadn't moved.

Winlock's eyes quickly darted from the man to the woman, then momentarily back to MacCready again, and MacCready could practically see the wheels in his head turning.

 _'_ _That's right... you can count,'_ he thought. _'_ _Three against two - four_ _against two if you count the dog. The odds aren't in your favor, boys. Choose wisely.'_

Winlock grunted, then shook his head. "...No problem. We were just leaving, right Barnes?"

Barnes scowled and muttered something under his breath. The two of them sidestepped the newcomers and headed for the door, but not before Winlock turned towards MacCready one last time to point a threatening finger.

"Remember what I said, MacCready. This is absolutely your _last_ warning."

The dog started growling at Winlock again, and Barnes tugged him out of the room.

The man watched the two Gunners leave, then turned to the woman with a scowl.

"It's been less than _five minutes_. You _really_ couldn't stay out of trouble for _less than five minutes?_ "

"I had things under control," she smiled, giving the dog a friendly pat. The dog looked up at her lovingly, its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth as it panted. The man rolled his eyes.

"Yeah... it sure _sounded_ like it."

"Hey, that creep was gonna hit Dogmeat!" she protested.

 _'_ _...'Dogmeat'?'_ thought MacCready. _'_ _What kind of name is that_ _for a dog?'_

"That's-" the man stopped mid-sentence and looked down at the dog, who looked up at him and gave him a small bark as if to agree. The man frowned. "That's not the point," he continued, but his voice softened a bit. "You shouldn't go picking fights, even if those civilians _were_ being insubordinate. I taught you better than that. And what if they'd hurt you?"

"Even if they _had_ , you and Nick would've made them sorry they even _looked_ at me the wrong way. And not that I _need_ you men to fight for me, but can you imagine what _Arthur_ would have done to them if they'd laid a finger on me?" She grinned devilishly.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

"..Nora..."

MacCready rolled his eyes. He had better things to do than watch these two bicker like an old married couple. ...Okay, actually he _didn't_ at the moment, but he was still a little put out that they were in _his_ space making him listen to all this. He cleared his throat deliberately and the pair looked at him, as if just realizing that he was there.

"Look lady..." he started, "if you're preaching about the Atom or looking for... _another_ friend, you've got the wrong guy. If you're looking for a hired gun... then maybe we can talk."

"Maybe," the woman - Nora, the man had called her - said with a slight smile. "Why don't you tell me who those guys were first?"

"A couple of morons looking to climb the ladder of success by stepping on everyone _else_ on the way up," MacCready scoffed. "You shouldn't be surprised though, that's how it is when you run with the Gunners. Stuck with them for a while 'cause the money was good, but I never fit in. That's why I made a clean break and started flying solo." He narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

"Now what about you two? How do I know I won't end up with a bullet in my back?"

Nora raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you always this suspicious?" she asked.

"Hey, you approached _me_ ," MacCready replied. "And frankly, I'm taking a huge risk being out here in the Commonwealth in the _first_ place... so I'm not about to leave anything to chance. Which brings me back to my original question - can I trust you?"

Nora hesitated and looked at the man, who simply stared back at her. The room was silent for a few seconds, then Nora turned back to MacCready.

"What I need isn't so much an extra gun... I need someone _found_. Tracked down. Is that something you can do?"

MacCready raised an eyebrow at her, then chuckled and shook his head when he realized that she was serious.

"Tracked down? Lady, I shoot people. I make them _go_ missing, not find them if they _are_ missing."

Nora narrowed her eyes, looking irritated. "Well you're a mercenary, aren't you? Isn't finding people like, _half_ of the job?"

"Come on, MacCready..." a new voice said. "The dame needs your help."

Nora and the man turned, and MacCready saw another man standing in the doorway. He did a double-take when he saw glowing yellow eyes staring at him and tensed for a moment.

The man slowly stepped forward and MacCready relaxed when he recognized him as the Diamond City synth that occasionally visited Goodneighbor. MacCready had seen him (it?) with Mayor Hancock from time to time, so he knew this wasn't just some rogue Gen 2 synth - especially since Gen 2 synths tended to not bother with clothing like normal people.

MacCready rolled his eyes at the synth. "It's uh... Valentine, right?" he said. The synth nodded and tipped his fedora in greeting.

"Nick Valentine," he said. "I see you've already met my... friends." He hesitated as he glanced at the other man out of the corner of his eye and continued. "I'm sure you've heard at least a _little_ about what happened at the Memory Den? Well the lady here needs your help finding the doctor that worked there."

MacCready sat back down and rubbed his forehead. Between the two Gunners and now all of _these_ people, this was starting to get ridiculous.

" _You're_ the 'clockwork cop'," he muttered. "Why don't _you_ help find her? I'm sure your dog can help you."

"It's 'synth detective', smart guy," Nick countered with a frown.

"Wow. A detective _and_ a dog? I can't believe I _never_ thought of that," Nora said dryly, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. The other man pursed his lips as he gave her a light swat on the arm and she sighed.

"Look... whoever took this woman covered their tracks well - _really_ well," she said. "Well enough that Nick _and_ Dogmeat couldn't pick out anything that might give us a clue or a direction to follow." She took a couple steps towards MacCready, looking a bit contrite.

"...You're our last hope of finding her. She has some pretty sensitive information in her head, and in the wrong hands it could definitely do some harm. If you can't find her, _no one_ can."

MacCready was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Sorry... like I said, I'm already pushing my luck being here as it is. You want me to find this woman - this _doctor -_ that could have dangerous info in her head, I don't know _what_ kind of people took her or _why_ , and I don't even know if I can trust _you_. So why don't you, the tin man, the scarecrow, and Toto head back to Oz and leave me alone."

Nora raised an eyebrow while he took a long sip from a beer bottle on a nearby table and grimaced - flat. _'_ _Darn distractions,'_ he pouted.

"So... does that make you the Cowardly Lion?" Nora murmured, a hint of a smile on her face.

MacCready was torn between feeling annoyed at being thought of as cowardly, and being somewhat amused that she got his reference. The other man looked over at the synth, a confused expression on his face. The synth smirked at him.

"...It's from a book," MacCready heard him mutter to the man, whose mouth formed a small ' _oh_ ' in understanding.

Nora took a breath and decided to try a slightly different approach.

"Look... you don't know me _or_ my friends here, and you don't know if you can trust us. I can respect that - _especially_ if those two bozos from earlier are the kind of people you _typically_ deal with. I can understand not wanting to put yourself into unnecessary danger. All I can really give you is my word... and a bunch of caps." She gave him a slight smile and raised her eyebrows at him hopefully.

MacCready pondered this for a few seconds. _'_ _You need the caps,'_ his brain reminded him. _'_ _Duncan's depending on you. He might never get better without that cure. And you probably won't get_ _that cure without help. Valentine's kind of a goody-goody, and if he_ _trusts them, maybe...'_

He put the beer bottle down and sat up straighter in the chair.

"A bunch of caps, huh?" he murmured. The other man frowned, but Nora and Nick smiled at him. MacCready thought for another second, then nodded at Nora. "...Okay hotshot. Tell you what - price is 250 caps... up front. And there's no room for bargaining. What do you say?"

Nora looked into a small pack at her side. "Everything's negotiable. Would you take 200?"

MacCready wanted to balk... but caps were caps, and business _had_ been slow lately.

"You drive a hard bargain, but... you just bought yourself a mercenary. Robert Joseph MacCready, at your service."

Nora stuck out her hand with grin. "Nora," she replied, "but you probably heard that already. You seem to already know about Nick, and the big guy behind me is Danse."

MacCready shook her hand and was surprised to feel that she was stronger than she looked. After taking her caps, he rose.

"All right boss - where do we start?"

"Well..." she thought for a brief moment. "I guess we should check out the Memory Den one more time, see if you can provide any insight that we might have missed."

"The detective and the soldier are coming along too, right?" he asked wryly. The man next to Valentine - Danse - tensed, but Nora didn't look too surprised that MacCready had identified him. She turned to look at him and laughed softly at the surprised expression on his face.

"...You _did_ use the words 'civilians' and 'insubordinate' in the same sentence, Danse."

Danse pursed his lips and grunted. Nora laughed again and gave him a pat on the arm.

"So... stealth may not always be your strong suit - no big deal," she chuckled.

"Don't take it too personally, pal," MacCready added. "A good mercenary quickly learns to be extra-observant." He ignored Danse's scowl and turned to Nora, quickly looking her up and down.

" _You_ I can't quite figure out," he added. "Normally I'd doubt you actually _were_ a vault dweller, but those things aren't easy to fake or find, even in vaults." He pointed to her Pip-Boy before continuing. "And you can't have _just_ left your vault, because you seem far too comfortable with your surroundings. I wouldn't even peg you as a normal wastelander, because most of _them_ wouldn't stand up to two Gunners and not even bat an eyelash - even if they _did_ have a dog, a soldier, or a synth to protect them." He paused, a slightly goofy smile coming across his face.

"That actually sounds like the start of a bad joke," he chuckled. "A vault dweller, a synth, a dog, and a soldier walk into a bar..." The other three just stared at him (at least _Nora_ looked amused), so he cleared his throat and waved a hand in the air flippantly.

"Anyway - what's _your_ deal?" he asked Nora. "I heard 'Soldier Boy' over there say he'd taught you before... don't tell me _you're_ with the Brotherhood of Steel?"

Danse glared icily at MacCready, but Nora raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Would that be so bad?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. MacCready shook his head.

"Depends on your point of view. They're probably very useful as allies, but I sure as he- heck wouldn't want them as my enemy. I've seen that giant blimp hovering over the airport... you guys clearly don't lack firepower, that's for sure."

"We do all right," Nora smiled. "And just for the record - not bad. I _was_ a vault dweller, but I've been part of the Brotherhood for a little while now." She paused briefly, then gently cleared her throat. "For what it's worth... the Brotherhood aren't the bad guys that everyone seems to _think_ they are."

MacCready looked skeptical. "Well for _everyone's_ sake... I hope you're right." He picked his pack up from the ground and looked from her to her companions. "...Shall we?"

* * *

Back at the Memory Den, MacCready whistled as he surveyed all the damage to Amari's lab.

"Someone made a real mess of _this_ place," he murmured. "Of course... it looks no worse than almost any _other_ building in the Commonwealth now." He started to chuckle, then noticed Nick and Nora staring at him with raised eyebrows (Danse of course had his usual scowl on). He cleared his throat and looked around again, trying to see if anything stood out.

"Best of luck," Nora murmured. "We couldn't find any useful information before."

MacCready smirked at her. "No offense, but that's because you're looking at this like a bunch of 'good guys'. You gotta think like someone who has something to hide." As he looked around, his eyes fell on the terminal in the back of the room.

"Already tried that," Nick informed him. "Nora hacked it but couldn't access one of the files - password protected. The rest of the stuff on there was useless."

"So you need a password, huh?" MacCready murmured. He glanced around the room again. "If it were me, I'd always have it written down _somewhere_ , just in case. And if I was gonna hide one... I'd wanna hide it in a place no one would ever guess. A drawer or tool box - too obvious."

His eyes stopped in the back of the room, and Nora turned to see what had caught his attention. There was a bathtub sitting in one of the back corners. Nora remembered it being there since she, Danse, and Nick first visited the Memory Den together to see if Amari could analyze Kellogg's brain. MacCready narrowed his eyes.

"...What is a bathtub doing in a science lab?" he asked skeptically. Nick chuckled softly.

"...That's been there for as long as I've known Amari," he murmured. "I just figured it was a pre-war part of the building before this became the Memory Den. ...Huh."

MacCready cast a sideways glance at Nick before striding over to the tub, the others slowly moving in closer behind him. He leaned over it to inspect the inside, then knelt beside it and looked underneath.

"Hmm..."

He reached a hand underneath it and knocked a few times on the floor. Nora's eyes widened when the resulting noise sounded hollow, as if...

"There's a space underneath the floorboards," she murmured to herself. MacCready stood up again and grinned.

"Bingo. Here - someone get the other side of this..."

He moved to one end of the tub, and Danse moved to the other since he was closest. With a ready nod at MacCready, they both grunted as they slowly pushed it away from the wall. After shifting it about four feet they stopped, then leaned over to inspect the floor. Nick and Nora craned their necks over curiously.

At first there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary, then Danse pointed at a spot on the floor.

"Hey... take a look at this."

He bent down and poked cautiously at the floor. He appeared to be pointing at a knot hole in the wood, but once he poked it, it moved as if it weren't really part of the floor. He fumbled with the wood for a couple seconds, then pulled the knot hole out of the floor - where a small metal handle was concealed underneath.

"...Amari, you sly fox," Nick murmured with raised eyebrows.

Nora grinned as she placed a hand on Danse's shoulder and bent down beside him.

"Good eyes, Danse," she said, impressed. Danse smiled softly as he looked at her.

"Well... a Brotherhood soldier quickly learns to be _extra-observant_ ," he quipped, shooting a look at MacCready, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, we're all super impressed 'soldier boy'... now let's see what's underneath," he said, crouching down beside him. Danse tugged on the handle, revealing a small compartment in the floor. Inside was a holotape.

Danse, Nora, MacCready, and Nick all looked at each other for a moment before the men's eyes settled on Nora. She slowly reached for the holotape, opened a compartment on her Pip-Boy, slid the tape inside, and started it up. After a moment, a throat cleared on the tape and Dr. Amari's voice sounded in the room.

 _"_ _Hello... I hope this is recording alright. If you're anyone other_ _than me and you're listening to this... it means that unfortunately, something has happened to me - most likely something bad. I've secured the memory loungers so that only I_ _know how to access the technology, but if I'm hurt or missing..._ (a pause) ... _I can say without ego that I have... quite a bit of knowledge in my head - knowledge that I know others could manipulate for their own selfish purposes. I can only hope that this holotape has fallen into good hands. If you're able to do so, please - get this tape to the Brotherhood of Steel, particularly to one of their female soldiers - Miss Nora Taylor."_

Nora's eyebrows shot upwards as the men's eyes immediately flew to hers.

 _"_ _She has a good heart, and her intentions are pure... she's one of the few people I feel I can trust with this information. And, I suppose... I must rely on whoever is listening to this recording to be trustworthy as well. But know this - the very fate of the Commonwealth could depend on it."_

There was a pause, followed by a long sigh. After a few seconds, Dr. Amari continued.

 _"_ _The memory loungers use complicated technology. It should come as no surprise, seeing as how they're able to look into a person's brain and extract their memories. But... the technology didn't start out_ _that way. When the loungers were first created... they were used to feed information into_ _the brain, not pull anything out_ _of it."_

Nora gasped softly, suddenly remembering her conversation with the woman from the Third Rail. "Oh my God... she was right," she murmured. Danse gave her a confused expression but she shook her head slightly, giving him a look to say, ' _I'll explain later,_ '.

 _"_ _The concept was originally a virtual reality-based stasis device. It was also called an immersion recliner, a Visiontron, or a Tranquility Lounger. It was designed by a Vault-Tec scientist named Stanislaus Braun, creator of the 'Garden of Eden Creation Kit', or G.E.C.K., before the Great War. He became the Overseer of Vault 112 in the Capital Wasteland."_

"Braun..." Danse murmured, stiffening as Nora eyed _him_ curiously. The questions in her mind were piling up, and seeing Danse react to Amari's information only confirmed to her that he knew... _something_ about this as well.

 _"_ _Unfortunately, Dr. Braun was... both brilliant and_ _sadistic. Approximately 10 years ago, it was discovered that he and the other inhabitants of Vault 112 were all still alive - over 200 years later! But... their longer lives came at a great cost. He exercised complete control over the loungers' simulations - the inhabitants had no means of leaving on their own. They had become his playthings, completely at his mercy._ _After Braun became bored of various simulated worlds, he proceeded to virtually 'kill' each one of them. Each time after killing them, he'd wipe their memory and resurrect them within the program, over and over and over again. He had been doing this since he and the inhabitants had originally_ _entered the loungers over 200 years ago."_

"...Oh my God," Nora murmured, feeling as horrified as the others looked.

"...Christ..." Nick muttered incredulously. "And I thought Kellogg and the Institute were bad..."

 _"_ _To make a longer story short, a woman stumbled upon Vault 112 and put a stop to Braun's sick experiment. Due to the protocols Braun had installed in the program, she had no choice but to... 'euthanize' the other inhabitants, finally letting them rest in peace. As for Braun, he became trapped in his own simulation - alone - where he remains to this day."_

There was a long pause on the tape as Dr. Amari seemed to contemplate carefully whatever she was about to say next.

 _"_ _...Any technological information related to the loungers was destroyed or lost - seemingly. The very few people that even knew_ _about what transpired in Vault 112 seemed to drop off the radar after that. The woman who had stopped Braun's despicable plans went on to find her own destiny, while the others were just a couple of the scientists that continued to live in the Capital Wasteland."_

 _"_ _One of them was a scientist by the name of Dr. Steven Walker. He was a great admirer of Braun's work. The other scientist... was me. I worked under Dr. Walker for a few years, but one day he just up and vanished without a trace. I never knew where he went. Dr. Walker... was actually the scientist who added the implants to Conrad Kellogg's body. I recognized his handiwork when I saw the implant that had been removed from Kellogg's brain. I was completely unaware that he had previously worked with the Institute until then. In all the time we'd worked together, he had never told me about his past."_

 _"_ _...I'm... sorry I was not more upfront with you about this, Ms. Taylor. I didn't know you as well then, I wasn't sure if I could trust the Brotherhood of Steel, and I didn't think Dr. Walker's past - or mine_ _\- was relevant to the task at hand of reading Kellogg's memories. It wouldn't have helped you find Kellogg or_ _the Institute."_

There was another pause and deep intake of breath on the tape.

 _"_ _I know all of this may be a lot of information to take in... but it's important that I explained all of that before getting to the main point of this tape. When I_ _worked with Dr. Walker, he was researching cybernetic enhancements and even certain chems - ones that could be used to improve muscle strength, increase intelligence and stamina, reduce the sensation of pain, or even slow the aging process - thus extending one's lifespan. That, combined with the technology from the Tranquility Lounger, was the basis for his research."_

 _"_ _...I admit, I had mixed feelings about it myself... but if the science could be used to truly better mankind, I felt obligated to at least try. When he started trying to combine his work with Dr. Braun's, however, I started having serious reservations. Enhancing the human body is one thing - tinkering with a person's mind is another. I developed the Memory Loungers to delve deep into the human mind - but what I do at the Memory Den, I do to try and bring some peace and happiness to people, especially at a time in which happy memories are a rare commodity, something to be cherished. Dr. Walker was just the opposite - he wanted the ability to control_ _the mind, manipulate it, see if he could use it for his own_ _personal gain."_

 _"_ _When I started to realize what he was doing, I couldn't let that kind of work continue. As I said earlier though, he disappeared before I could do anything about it. One day he was doing research like he usually did, the next day he was gone - his notes and nearly all his research with him. Until I saw the implant you_ _brought me, Ms. Taylor, I didn't expect to see or hear anything related to him again. I reluctantly admit that I'd hoped the Capital Wasteland or the Commonwealth - wherever he'd ended up - had finished him off. And even then, I didn't think too much of it - until that mysterious man visited me here at the Memory Den and asked about the loungers, the technology, and you and your fellow Paladin."_

"...Geez..." Nora mumbled, rubbing her forehead in frustration. Amari was right - this was a lot of information to take in, and it was starting to give her a bit of a headache. She didn't even know where to _begin_ with all of this.

 _"_ _I fear he will use whatever intelligence he acquires to further his research, and destroy lives in the process. If he gets the chance, he'll use technology like Braun's loungers - to uncover people's darkest secrets, use the information to his advantage, and replace their thoughts with whatever he chooses... essentially making people mindless slaves if he so desires. Before he disappeared, he was trying to find a way to make this sort of technology... portable - like with the implants he designed. If he's finally found a way to do this... then no one_ _may be safe."_

 _"_ _I know I didn't tell you any of this when you came to ask me about the Railroad, and the mysterious stranger... I didn't have any suspicions about them at the time, I just waved it off and thought nothing of it. It's not the first time a strange person had wandered into the Memory Den before - this is_ _Goodneighbor, after all. The more I thought about it, however, the more I wondered if the past and the recent visitor were connected. Maybe they're not... maybe I'm just worrying for nothing. On the other hand, if you're listening to this holotape... then my fears were probably not unfounded. Though I can't say for sure, I now have a strong suspicion that Dr. Walker is somehow involved in this. And if he truly is... I worry for what his plans are."_

"My God..." Nick murmured. There was another long pause on the tape, and everyone seemed to wait with baited breath for whatever Dr. Amari had to say next.

 _"_ _Ms. Taylor... Nora... I pray that this holotape has_ _reached your hands, or at least the hands of someone that can help the Commonwealth. I... I'm sorry for any mistakes that I've made. I never thought things would get this far. I always hoped and prayed that they wouldn't. And it's my sincere wish that this holotape never needs_ _to be discovered. But if it has - then there isn't any time to lose. Every day that passes puts the Commonwealth into more danger."_

 _"_ _I can't tell you where Dr. Walker is now. I obviously can't even tell you where I_ _currently am, if you're listening to this tape. I'm sorry - I know that doesn't help you too much. The only way I can help you right now is this: keep your eyes and ears open. Don't underestimate anything_ _\- not Dr. Walker, not the Institute - not even any raiders or anyone appearing_ _to be a raider, just in case anyone suspicious comes around again. Not anything."_

 _"_ _And finally, my last piece of information - it is my sincere hope that this can help you in some_ _way. In my lab, there is a terminal that is password-protected. When you need the password... just remember Dr. Braun. I'm sorry, that's all I can reveal, just in case this tape falls into the wrong hands. I have faith that you'll figure it out. Once you're in my terminal, there should be a file there marked 'Preliminary Research'. ...Maybe it will provide you with the right information at the right time. That's all I have to give. I wish you the very best, good luck, and... I hope it's not too late. ...For any_ _of us."_

The holotape shut off with a click, and everyone sat there in astonished silence for several long moments. Nora jumped when MacCready finally let out a large exhale and rubbed his scalp under his hat.

"Geez, boss... what the he- heck kinda trouble are you trying to drag me into?"

Danse scowled at the mercenary briefly before gently placing a hand on Nora's shoulder.

"Come on," he said softly, "let's see what's on that terminal. Any information we can bring back with us is a plus."

Nora swallowed hard and nodded as she straightened up, but wasn't entirely sure she even _wanted_ to know what was on the terminal. She walked over to it and took a deep breath, trying to steel herself for whatever they were going to find.

"Okay..." she murmured, leaning over the keyboard and bringing up the password entry screen. " 'Remember Dr. Braun'..."

First she tried ' _Stanislaus Braun_ ', but wasn't surprised when it didn't work. 'Hmm. Didn't _think_ it'd be that easy,' she thought. After pausing for a moment, she tried ' _Tranquility Lounger_ ', but still no luck.

"Hmm... what about... ' _Vault-Tec_ '?" Nick suggested hopefully from behind her. Nora tried it and shook her head.

"Nope," she replied glumly. The room was silent for a couple seconds as everyone tried to think of something else. Nora's eyes suddenly lit up as an idea struck her. She tapped away at the keyboard and smiled when the terminal screen changed in front of her.

"Hey! You got it!" Nick said. She felt his metal hand gently lay on her shoulder. "What did you use?"

" ' _Vault 112_ ' ," Nora replied. "The vault that Braun was Overseer of." She almost shuddered to think of the inhabitants trapped in different simulations for over 200 years, only to be virtually 'killed' over and over again.

"Those poor people," Nick murmured, echoing her sentiments. He leaned forward to peer over her shoulder. "So... what's Amari got?" She opened the file marked ' _Preliminary Research_ ', and they read through some of the notes listed in it.

 _-_ _Ant Nectar_ _: naturally occurring substance secreted by giant ants. Raises consumer's strength exceptionally, but lowers intelligence by a considerable amount._

 _-_ _Buffout_ _: pill-shaped drug. Increases strength & reflexes. Highly addictive._

 _-_ _Psychobuff_ _: pre-War records from a Dr. H. Lector mention injecting one of his patients with a cocktail of Buffout & Psycho (mixed w/ some 'special enhancers'). Patient became extremely violent & strong enough to break through a reinforced steel door._

 _-_ _Jimson Weed_ _, aka 'Thornapple', aka 'Moon Flower': Datura stramonium. Plant in the Nightshade family. Contains Scopolamine - could cause delirium. Might be worth looking into._

Nora raised an eyebrow slowly. "...Giant _ants?_ " she asked incredulously. She suddenly noticed MacCready and Danse, who had joined Nick behind her while the two of them were reading.

"Urgh. Those things were the _worst_ in the Capital Wasteland," MacCready muttered. "Some of them even mutated to breathe _fire_ , if you can believe it. They're horrible. But... there aren't any up here - not that _I've_ seen or heard about, anyway."

Danse nodded his head. "Agreed. They gave the Brotherhood quite a bit of trouble many years ago... but luckily there's been no reports of any seen in this part of the country."

Nora pursed her lips as she skimmed the notes again. "There doesn't seem to be too much info here... but Dr. Amari _did_ say that Dr. Walker took a lot of his research with him." She popped Dr. Amari's holotape out of her Pip-Boy, then slid it into a slot in the terminal. "I'm going to copy this stuff onto the holotape too... maybe one of the Scribes can make some use out of it."

"Good idea," Danse agreed. "If anyone can possibly give us some clarification, it would be them."

"All right, boss..." MacCready took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. "So... what now?"

Nora took a deep breath as she straightened up and turned to face the other men (...and Dogmeat, who'd been sitting patiently during this whole ordeal).

"Now... we just need to check in with Hancock, let him know what we found out," she replied. "After that, Danse and I need to report in - get this tape back to the Brotherhood and see what our next step is." She looked over at Danse, her expression turning weary. "...We still have the Institute to deal with, too."

* * *

Fahrenheit snickered at Hancock from across the room and crossed her arms.

"...You still 100% sure you can trust them?" she asked. "That big guy _does_ keep sending you death glares."

"Almost no one I trust more than her," Hancock replied. "She's never let me down yet... I don't expect she ever will."

Fahrenheit shrugged in response, then nodded a greeting to Nora as she entered the upper State House room - Danse, Nick, MacCready, and Dogmeat in tow.

"Hey sister," greeted the ghoul. "Make yourself comfortable. You dig up some good news for me?"

Nora sat on the couch across from Hancock and sighed. Danse took a seat on the other end, while Nick and MacCready were content to lean against the wall like Fahrenheit. Dogmeat sat on the floor between Nora and Danse, and licked Hancock's hand when he leaned forward and gave him a small pat on the head.

"I don't know if I'd call it 'good'," Nora began. "I _do_ have news, though." She filled him in on Amari's holotape and the bit of information found on her terminal. Hancock listened silently, his face blank as he took all of the information in. When she finished, he didn't say anything for several moments.

"So no idea where Amari is... but at least we have _some_ information, I guess," he finally murmured.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," Nora replied. "The data in Dr. Amari's terminal mentioned Ant Nectar, Buffout, and something called 'Psychobuff'. ...And 'Psycho'. I really don't know too much about chems..."

"...but you know _I_ do," Hancock finished for her, unable to keep the smirk off of his face. Nora looked apologetic and quickly held up her hands as she heard MacCready snicker behind her.

"I didn't want to offend you or anything..."

"Naw naw naw," Hancock chuckled, shaking his head. " No worries, darlin'. I know you mean well." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I've never really heard of people using Ant Nectar... not easily obtainable, and not really worth the trouble. As for Buffout and Psycho, those are definitely more common. Psycho's more dangerous, because morons that don't know when to stop either overdose, or cause all kinds of damage and get themselves killed _anyway_. Buffout's probably the _most_ common. Bulks you up, but highly addictive." He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's only my opinion, but if this other doc is working to gain control over people, those aren't really his best options. Seems like too great a risk that whoever he'd use this stuff on could just flip and turn against him in a blind rage."

"...What about that other one?" Nick piped in. "Umm... it was some kind of weed. Contained some ingredient that could cause delirium. 'Moon Flower' was another name for it." Hancock scrunched up his brow.

"Hmm. Never heard of anyone using a flower to get a high. Well... _almost_ ," he quipped. "But never heard of _that_ one."

"Well... worth a try," Nora shrugged. "Thanks for the other info though, John. Hopefully we can figure the rest of this out before Dr. Amari - or anyone _else_ \- gets hurt."

"Geez..." he muttered. "...When I think of that vault... virtually killing people over and over again? And people think _ghouls_ are freaks." Danse's mouth twitched the tiniest bit, but Hancock chose to ignore that. Nora took a deep breath, then slowly turned towards Danse.

"You're from the Capital Wasteland... I know it was probably a long while ago, but you never heard anything about Vault 112? You said earlier that only a couple vaults there were still operational, and you seemed to recognize Braun's name when Dr. Amari mentioned it."

Danse visibly stiffened, and Nora narrowed her eyes. She didn't want or like to put him on the spot, but her instincts were telling her that _something_ was off, and it was starting to drive her nuts. She had enough unanswered questions in her life at the moment... she sure as hell didn't need _more_. He cleared his throat uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's... not exactly _my_ story to tell," he muttered reluctantly. Nora's eyebrows shot upwards again in surprise.

"...What?" she snapped back. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He opened his mouth to speak again, but the sound of another throat clearing got everyone's attention - a _female_ tone of voice. They all turned towards the doorway of the room to see a hooded woman entering, a tall ghoul by her side. Nora's eyes widened as she immediately recognized her - the woman she'd met in the Third Rail earlier that day.

"I believe what he means is... it's _my_ story to tell," the woman said softly. Nora opened her mouth to speak, but did a double-take when Danse interrupted her thoughts. He was gaping at the woman as though he couldn't fathom the very _sight_ of her. He slowly stood up, his face an odd mix of shock and... anger?

"... _Y-you_..." he finally muttered, his voice shaking. The woman's face tightened at him, almost looking as if she were in pain.

"...Hello Michael," she murmured sadly after a moment.


	28. Chapter 28 - Reunions

_Nora took a deep breath, then slowly turned towards Danse._

 _"_ _You're from the Capital Wasteland... I know it was probably a long while ago, but you never heard anything about Vault 112? You said earlier that only a couple of vaults there were still operational, and you seemed to recognize Braun's name when Dr. Amari mentioned it."_

 _Danse visibly stiffened, and Nora narrowed her eyes. She didn't want or like to put him on the spot, but her instincts were telling her that something was off, and it was starting to drive her nuts. She had enough unanswered questions in her life at the moment... she sure as hell didn't need more. He cleared his throat uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck._

 _"_ _It's... not exactly my story to tell," he muttered reluctantly. Nora's eyebrows shot upwards again in surprise._

 _"_ _...What?" she snapped back. "What is that supposed to mean?"_

 _He opened his mouth to speak again, but the sound of another throat clearing got everyone's attention. They all turned towards the doorway of the room to see a hooded woman entering, a tall ghoul by her side. Nora's eyes widened as she immediately recognized her - the woman she'd met in the Third Rail earlier that day._

 _"_ _I believe what he means is... it's my story to tell," the woman said softly. Nora opened her mouth to speak, but did a double-take when Danse interrupted her thoughts. He was gaping at the woman as though he couldn't fathom the very sight of her. He slowly stood up, his face an odd mix of shock and... anger?_

 _"_ _...Y-you ..." he finally muttered, his voice shaking. The woman's face tightened into a painful expression._

 _"_ _...Hello Michael," she murmured sadly._

* * *

Several things occurred to Nora at once. Danse knew something about Vault 112. So did the mysterious woman, 'Catherine', from the Third Rail - who was _here, now_ (accompanied by a tall ghoul). Danse _knew_ her. She knew _Danse_. And to top it all off - Nora _finally_ had a first name to go with her friend and superior. It took her a moment to process all of this.

"... _Michael?_ " she finally drawled, not sure if she should be more shocked or amused.

Danse either ignored her or didn't seem to hear her as he slowly started forward, hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He didn't have a plan of action, he just acted on impulse.

The ghoul beside Catherine narrowed his eyes and took a defensive step in front of her. He had sparse, reddish hair and was about a foot taller than his companion, who was now concealed behind him. He looked quite like a mercenary, not unlike MacCready - including a menacing-looking shotgun strapped to his back.

"That's far enough," the ghoul rasped at Danse. Danse narrowed his eyes at him in return, his hands beginning to shake slightly.

"Get. Out. Of my way," he growled slowly at the ghoul, his tone of voice immediately making Nora nervous. To her surprise, the corner of the ghoul's mouth twitched upwards a tiny bit.

"You and I both know that's not going to happen," he replied in his gravelly voice, "so why don't you sit back down, soldier."

Nora raised an eyebrow. The ghoul knew Danse as well?

"I do _not_ take orders from you," Danse hissed through gritted teeth. "Stand aside, if you know what's good for you." Nora stood up when she saw the ghoul's hand slowly heading towards his back.

"Danse..." she said warily. Luckily, 'Catherine' interceded.

" _Charon_ ," she said firmly, and it took Nora a moment to realize that she was talking to the ghoul. "...It's all right. Stand down." Charon frowned at the woman for a couple seconds, then lowered his hand and nodded.

"If that is what you wish," he murmured, and stepped aside.

She pulled her hood back, her auburn locks falling softly around her shoulders. Danse huffed at her, as if seeing her face made him _more_ upset. She took a deep breath and held it for a couple seconds, then let it out slowly as she took a few steps closer to him, her eyes studying his face. She was silent for a few more seconds, before she finally cleared her throat.

"It's... been a long time," she murmured. "You look... different."

"I _am_ different," he snapped back, his voice noticeably cold. "A lot has happened... since you up and disappeared with _no_ _notice_. People started believing you were dead. I didn't... know _what_ to believe." His expression softened briefly before reverting back to a scowl. She chewed on her bottom lip, her expression sad.

"I don't blame you one bit for being mad," she sighed. "And I know it might be difficult for you to believe, but... I _do_ have my reasons."

His eyes narrowed to slits. "Which _are_?"

"I..." she paused, then cast her eyes downward. "...I can't tell you."

He snorted and shook his head.

"Uh... 'scuse me?"

Danse turned his head and jumped when he saw Nora's head at his side, unaware that she had even come up behind him. She ignored him and was peering curiously at the woman in front of him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little... 'soap opera' here," she said sheepishly as she waved a hand in between them. She heard a snort from one of the men behind her and continued. "...You're not really 'Catherine', are you?" she asked the woman, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers. The woman smiled sadly.

"Probably about as much as _you're_ 'Kathleen'," she replied, returning the gesture. Danse looked at Nora again and raised an eyebrow, any negative feelings he had temporarily pushed aside.

"...'Kathleen'?" he asked her curiously. Nora looked back at him and shrugged.

"It was my mom's name, and we were sort of undercover. ...Besides, _you're_ one to talk, _Michael_." He scowled and looked like he wanted to reprimand her, but the other woman interrupted him by sticking out her hand in greeting.

"Alexa. Alexa Howard. I'm sorry for the deception... I wasn't quite sure who _you_ were at first, either."

"...Alexa..." Nora heard one of the men murmur softly from behind her, as if the name struck something with them, but she ignored it and shook Alexa's hand.

"Nora Taylor. No worries - one can never be too careful, especially with all the _extra_ crazy crap that's been happening lately," she said. "So... you have some information about Vault 112 for us, I guess? Minus Danse I mean, since he seems to know you already..."

She raised an eyebrow as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. He looked like he felt both uncomfortable _and_ angry, and couldn't decide which to convey first. Alexa stiffened at the mention of the vault, then nodded.

"I... _still_ have nightmares over it sometimes, even about 10 years later," she mumbled. Nora's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered Dr. Amari discussing the vault on her holotape.

"Wait -" she said, her jaw dropping in shock. "Don't tell me... that was _you_ that Dr. Amari was talking about? The woman who stopped Dr. Braun?" Alexa nodded solemnly. Nora frowned as the realization hit her. "And... all those people..." she trailed off. Alexa took a deep breath, then sighed sadly as her gaze fell to the floor.

"I... couldn't just leave them like that, tortured by that psychopath forever. I really wish there had been another way, but... in the end, I felt like I had no other choice."

Nora shuddered, trying not to imagine what might have happened if Vault 111 had been like that. As awful as her own experience had been, at least she didn't have to watch Nate die over and over again in different ways for over 200 years, memories erased or not. Reliving it even _once_ had been terrible.

Their thoughts were interrupted when MacCready suddenly appeared at Nora's side, staring wide-eyed at Alexa.

"Does that mean that... _you're_ the 'Lone Wanderer'?" he asked, astonishment in his voice. Nora looked between MacCready and Alexa in mild amusement.

"The 'Lone Wanderer'?" she repeated dryly. The corner of Alexa's mouth turned up in a slight smirk.

"Speak for yourself, 'Sole Survivor'," she joked, then chuckled at Nora's surprised expression. "Rumors spread... you didn't think that you were the only vault dweller who made an impression on the Wasteland, did you?"

In an instant, Nora was reminded of a remark that Mama Murphy had made to her earlier while she was using the Sight: _"_ _You know, you vault dwellers... you have a funny way of making history - over and over and over again..."_ She was distracted from her thoughts again when Alexa looked back at MacCready.

"So... I guess you've heard of me, then?" she said. MacCready's face broke into a sly grin.

" _Heard_ of you? Not just that. I _thought_ you looked a little familiar to me... we've _met_ before - though I was a bit younger then, so I'm not too surprised you don't recognize _me_. I was just a kid, back in the Capital Wasteland."

Both Alexa and Nora's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise, then Alexa narrowed her eyes as she studied MacCready, clearly trying to remember. Nora turned back to look from Nick to Hancock.

"...Neither of you guys are gonna tell me that _you_ know her too, are you?" she asked sarcastically. They both smiled a bit and held their hands up innocently. MacCready laughed softly.

"Maybe this will help you remember," he said to Alexa. "...'Your face looks like my butt.' "

"...Well _that_ seems pretty rude..." Nick muttered. Alexa's face, however, slowly broke into a wide grin.

" 'Oh yeah? You must like having such a good lookin' butt.' " she replied. " 'Yeah, your dad sure likes it!' " they both said simultaneously, then she laughed and shook her head. "Oh my God... you're that little shit mayor from Little Lamplight." MacCready laughed again and nodded.

"Not bad, for a 'mungo'," he quipped.

"Speak for yourself, you grew up _into_ one," she smiled softly.

Nora turned to look at Hancock, confused, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, I have _no_ idea what's going on," he replied. She turned back to MacCready.

" _You_... were a mayor?" she asked him incredulously. He grinned and shrugged.

"For a few years, actually. It's... a long story."

A grunt from Danse reminded them all that he was still standing there as well. He did not look amused. Alexa's smile faded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you even _doing_ here?" he grumbled. "You've been missing in action for about five years, not bothering to let anyone hear from you - least of all anyone from the _Brotherhood_." His eyes narrowed severely at that. "Now you show up out of the blue like nothing ever happened, and for what? What is it you _want_?"

Alexa looked wounded by his words, which only seemed to irk him more. Nora's jaw dropped in shock before she narrowed her eyes.

"Danse! What the heck is wrong with you?" she chided. "She's barely been here five minutes, and you jump down her throat?" He whirled around to face her, his expression stony and cold. She was reminded of when she almost left the Prydwen while still recovering from the Glowing Sea, and he and Arthur had caught her walking around with Brooks before he laid into her in Arthur's quarters. She saw his hands form tight fists at his sides.

"Don't try to lecture me, _Knight_ ," he spat. "You don't even _know_ her. You don't know anything _about_ her. She didn't even tell you her real name when you first met her. She can't explain her leave of absence. You don't even know if you can trust _anything_ she says." He turned to look at Alexa, his eyes piercing hers. "Do us all a favor - do whatever you came here to do, then go back where you came from." Without waiting for a response from anyone, he stormed from the room.

Nora watched him go, speechless for a moment, then turned to Alexa. She felt a pang of sympathy for her when she saw Alexa's eyes starting to water.

"I'm... _so_ sorry about him," Nora said softly. "I swear, he's not normally like that... not _really_." She heard murmurs of doubt from the other men and shot them all death glares as Alexa shook her head.

"No, it's all right," she replied, trying to hide a quiet sniff. "Under the circumstances, I can't blame him. We... have a complicated past."

"...He was an idiot back then, and apparently he's an idiot now," Charon grumbled. The other men chuckled as the women scowled.

"Charon, my man - let's talk sometime," Hancock cackled. He flinched slightly as Nora's gaze flew to him. "Joking, of course," he smiled innocently at her. She turned back to Alexa.

"Were you... in the Brotherhood too?" she asked. Alexa nodded, swallowing hard.

"I was a Paladin, the last time I... was a part of it. It... seems like forever ago," she murmured. Nora regarded her thoughtfully, recalling another Paladin she knew that had been separated from the Brotherhood for a long period of time.

"Have you ever thought of-"

"No," Alexa quickly interrupted. "I can't go back. I _can't_. It's... I really can't go into it." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Look... Nora - I don't know how long you've been in the Brotherhood, but... let's just say that it's better for certain people if I stay _away_ from it."

"Better for _whom_?" Nora asked curiously. "Is this... about Danse?" She didn't like to pry into what was obviously some kind of sensitive issue, but she also couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that Alexa might need her help. She gently put a hand on Alexa's shoulder. "Look... I know we only _just_ met, and we don't know each other very well... but I'm on good terms with the Elder-" She was interrupted by a snort from behind her and made a mental note to smack Hancock on the arm later. She cleared her throat loudly and continued.

"-And if you're in some kind of trouble, maybe he can help you out somehow. Maybe we can help each _other_ out. Since you're a former Paladin, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that members of the Brotherhood tend to look after one another."

Alexa looked doubtful. "I know you're trying to be helpful, and I really do appreciate it, but... maybe not everyone in the Brotherhood is as honorable as you want to _believe_ they are."

Nora contemplated this for a moment, then shook her head. "No... Elder _Maxson's_ not like that, anyway. He's one of the most honorable men I know. ...Stubborn, yes - but honorable. He truly cares about people - not just the Brotherhood, but the people _outside_ of it too."

Alexa's eyes widened, her jaw dropping open. "Maxson?" she repeated incredulously. "... _Arthur_ Maxson? _He's_ the elder now _?_ "

"Did you... know him personally?" Nora asked, hoping she wasn't digging herself deeper into trouble. Alexa closed her eyes for a minute, then chewed on her bottom lip as she nodded.

"We... weren't exactly on the best of terms before I left," she explained. "Another long story... but I was good friends with someone he cared about - and when she died, I think he always felt like I was partially responsible for it."

Nora had a suspicion that she knew who Alexa was referring to, but decided not to pry further for now. She gave Alexa's arm a gentle squeeze, then released it again. "Come back to the Prydwen with me," she prodded gently. "Let me talk to him - he'll listen to me. Like I said, maybe we can help each other out. You may be able to provide us with some information we need, and I'll do whatever I can to help you, too. If you've done some good within the Brotherhood, he won't just turn his back on you." She gave her a wry smirk. "I wouldn't _let_ him, anyway," she added.

Alexa raised an eyebrow quizzically and appeared to weigh options in her mind. "I... I don't know..." she murmured. "The Brotherhood here came from the Capital Wasteland. Someone could recognize me, word could get back to the higher-ups in power..."

"Are _they_ who you're worried about?" Nora asked her. She'd never met anyone higher-ranked than Arthur, but had heard that the Brotherhood Council of Elders could be a little more... difficult to deal with. Alexa looked a bit abashed, as if she said something she hadn't meant to, so Nora quickly tried to reassure her. "You could put your hood up again, hide your face, and I'd go with you - from what I've seen, the other soldiers don't always pay too much attention to other Wastelanders. Trust me, I know," she said, rolling her eyes a little. "I'm sure A- Elder Maxson would help keep your presence there discreet."

When Alexa still looked doubtful, Hancock got up from the couch and came over to them. "Hey... I know I don't know you either," he told her, "but I _do_ know Nora." He put an arm around Nora's shoulders and smiled, which she returned. "I don't think there's _anyone_ I trust in the Commonwealth more than her. If she can keep me and Valentine over there from getting shot by the Brotherhood-" he jerked a wrinkled thumb back towards Nick, "-then I have _no_ doubt that she can keep _you_ safe. And if you need a place to crash in the meantime, Goodneighbor doesn't turn _anyone_ away - just as long as they don't cause any trouble for anyone else."

Alexa turned her head to glance at Nick, noticing him for the first time, and did a double-take at his golden eyes staring back at her. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She was quiet for a moment, then a hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

"You kept _him_ safe from the Brotherhood?" she asked Nora. "...From _Michael?_ "

Nora chuckled and shook her head a little. "I _still_ can't get over that," she murmured, referring to Danse's first name, "but yes - I can say without ego that I have a certain way with words, and I promise - I _won't_ let anything bad happen to you."

Alexa stared at her for a moment. "You... kind of remind me of me, a few years ago," she said. Her expression grew a little sad. "I hope... things don't turn out the same way for you." Nora wasn't sure what she meant by that, but shook it off as Alexa let out a long sigh. "I'm sure I'm gonna regret this..." she mumbled, shaking her head. "But... okay. I'll come with you. If there's any real sign of trouble with the Brotherhood, though - I'm out. I won't be able to stick around. As long as you understand that."

Nora nodded and smiled as Alexa turned to Charon. "Why don't you lay low here for a while?" she suggested. "...Just to be on the safe side."

"You can stay here in the State House, if you'd like," Hancock offered. Charon nodded at both Alexa and Hancock, as Alexa shook Hancock's hand.

"That's very generous of you... thank you," she smiled softly.

"Bah," shrugged Hancock. "We wastelanders gotta look out for one another."

Nora turned to look at MacCready, then Nick. "Why don't you guys hang back for a bit as well," she told them. "I'll keep you in the loop if anything happens, I promise."

"You're the boss," MacCready smiled.

"Might be just as well," Nick agreed. "You know I'd do _anything_ for ya doll, but... I can only take so much of the Brotherhood - no offense," he added with a sly smile.

Nora chuckled and turned back to look at Alexa. "Ready?"

Alexa looked as if Nora had asked her to step willingly into a bear trap. She took a deep breath, then nodded. "As ready as I'm _gonna_ be, I guess." she murmured.

* * *

Outside the State House, Nora found Danse sulking with his arms crossed on a nearby bench. He raised his eyes when he saw her and Dogmeat, then glared when he spotted Alexa reluctantly trailing behind her, her hood raised once more.

" _She_ is _not_ coming with us," he stated icily.

"Oh yes she is," Nora insisted, "whether you like it or not."

Danse abruptly stood up, his eyes piercing down into Nora's. " _Knight-_ " he hissed through gritted teeth.

Nora stood her ground stubbornly. "Then _you_ can explain to... Elder Maxson," she paused momentarily, trying not to use his first name in front of Alexa, "why one of our best chances of getting to the bottom of this whole thing slipped through the Brotherhood's fingers because you let your _personal_ feelings get in the way of duty."

Danse's face reddened, and he looked nothing short of absolutely enraged. It was without a doubt the angriest she had ever seen him. She knew she'd struck a huge nerve and felt terrible about it, but also felt like getting Alexa to the Prydwen was of the utmost importance.

"Michael... this wasn't my idea," she heard Alexa murmur timidly behind her. "I know spending any time near me is the last thing you want right now..."

Danse acted like he hadn't heard her and stepped closer to Nora, his eyes practically boring holes into hers.

"The Elder isn't going to like this any more than _I_ do," he spoke softly. "Maybe even _less_. Are you prepared for that? For the consequences of your actions, Knight? I suggest you think carefully."

"Nora..." Alexa pleaded softly. "Don't-"

"I'm absolutely positive," Nora replied with narrowed eyes, though her stomach was growing tighter by the second. "If we want to protect the Commonwealth, we need to find Dr. Amari _and_ stop the Institute as soon as possible. If you have no further business here in Goodneighbor, _Paladin_ , might I suggest we head for the Prydwen post haste."

Danse stared daggers at her for a long moment, then turned on his heel without another word and headed for the entrance to Goodneighbor. Alexa appeared at her side, watching him go for a few seconds before turning to Nora, a nervous expression on her face.

"Nora... don't get yourself into trouble for me," she insisted. "Michael _is_ right - you barely know me. Please don't make him _or_ Maxson hate you because of me. I don't want to be responsible for you getting into serious trouble with the Brotherhood."

Nora shook her head, secretly hoping that Alexa would be wrong. " _My_ decision," she replied. "Besides - it's not the first time I've ever pushed my luck. Danse will get over it. It... may take a _truckload_ of Fancy Lads, but... he'll eventually come around."

"...Hmm. He still has that soft spot for Fancy Lads, eh?" Alexa murmured with a slight smile, more to herself than Nora. She took a deep breath, then nodded. "All right, let's go. It's now or never, I guess."

* * *

Once the vertibird had docked on board the Prydwen, Nora hopped out first, followed by Dogmeat and Alexa (who had her hood raised once more to help conceal her face), with Danse trailing behind - glowering all the way. If he'd had his way, he would have distanced himself from _both_ women, _immediately_ \- but didn't want to prove Nora right about putting personal feelings above duty.

 _'_ _Damn it, Nora,'_ he fumed silently. If he pushed his personal feelings aside for a moment (not an easy feat right now), he knew Nora didn't know about his past history with Alexa - and knew it wasn't really fair to be mad at her for doing her job as any soldier on a mission would. ...It didn't mean he had to like it, though. And he _really_ didn't want to be present when _Arthur_ saw Alexa. Ever since Sarah...

He shook his head and sighed. He'd tried to warn her, and she'd insisted - anything that happened now was her own fault.

Nora headed for the Command Deck, having a feeling that Arthur was in his usual spot, facing the windows with his arms held behind his back, looking out over the Commonwealth. Every step closer to him tightened the growing knot in her stomach. She had seen him mad before, especially at _her_ \- and to say that she didn't like it one bit was a tremendous understatement. She just hoped that whatever had happened in the past, he could look past it - if only for a _little_ while - and not hate her for it.

Sure enough, she could see his broad outline against the windows of the Command Deck. She stopped by the doorway and turned to look at Alexa, who was staring blankly at Arthur's back.

"He's... grown a lot bigger since I last saw him," Alexa said quietly. "...Taller, too." Nora laid her hand on Alexa's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Why don't you wait here," she suggested softly. "Maybe I can... soften him up first."

She heard a quiet ' _hmph_ ' from Danse and resisted the urge to narrow her eyes at him. She didn't want him any _more_ mad at her than he already _was_. Alexa scoffed skeptically.

"Good _luck_ ," she mumbled, sounding completely pessimistic. Nora took a deep breath, then turned and headed into the room. Danse trailed behind her again, avoiding Alexa's gaze as he passed her. Dogmeat sat by Danse's feet when he stopped about halfway into the room. Nora was a only couple feet away from Arthur when he finally spoke without turning around.

"I trust your search of the Memory Den yielded some answers for us?"

When neither soldier answered right away, he turned his head to look at Nora curiously. He blinked when he saw the sullen expression on her face, instantly feeling that something was wrong.

She knew she should speak first, but didn't quite know how or where to begin. She took a deep breath, deciding to take things one step at a time.

"At first, we couldn't find anything helpful. The furniture was thrown around and destroyed, but the electronics were oddly untouched. The terminals didn't have much information on them, save for one file that we couldn't access because it was password protected. There wasn't anything we could find for Dogmeat get a scent on. It seemed like we'd hit a dead end, so we headed to the bar and decided to separate to see if we might overhear anything useful."

"Nick and Danse didn't have any luck, but... I happened to sit next to someone who revealed that she was a former vault dweller, like me. She seemed to be a little bit familiar with the Memory Den's technology, but disappeared when I looked away, so I couldn't ask her more about it at the time. With no other foreseeable options, Nick suggested someone I could... 'hire', that might be able to help us out."

Arthur, who'd been listening to her intently, slowly raised an eyebrow at that. "... _'_ _Hire'_?" he repeated. "As in… a _mercenary_?" He looked like he wanted to say more, but held his tongue. Nora nodded reluctantly.

"He used to be a Gunner, but left as soon as he realized how ruthless and dangerous they are. I know how that sounds-" she saw Danse slowly close his eyes behind Arthur, his jaw stiffening, "-but I _do_ believe we can trust him. We wouldn't have been as successful as we were without his assistance."

Arthur said nothing for a moment. "So he's a mercenary _and_ a former Gunner," he said carefully. He took a deep breath. "...I suppose that's right up there with your chem-addicted ghoul mayor or the synth detective." He shook his head slightly and looked back towards the windows. "...How do you keep _finding_ these people?" he wondered aloud. The corner of Nora's mouth twitched a little and he shook his head again.

"Never mind, don't answer that." He rubbed the skin between his eyes and sighed softly. "Putting that aside for now... continue."

Nora recounted how they had gone back to the Memory Den, discovered Dr. Amari's holotape, and listened to her words before unlocking the file in her computer. Arthur frowned as he listened to her, taking all of the information in.

"...Vault 112..." he murmured when she stopped talking, his eyes taking on a far-away look. "Yes... I once overheard Elder Lyons discussing that with other soldiers about 10 years ago. Stanislaus Braun - he was the creator of the G.E.C.K., or the 'Garden of Eden Creation Kit'. It was a device designed to help an area of the Wasteland be hospitable again. He was a brilliant scientist - but apparently cruel and quite sadistic, it would seem."

He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "Just another one of the many scientists who didn't know when to show restraint," he muttered bitterly. "If this other scientist, Dr. Walker, tries to use the lounger technology to repeat Braun's mistakes, or worse - the Commonwealth could be in trouble. Between this, and the Institute..."

He shook his head, then looked at Nora. "I assume you still have this holotape?"

She nodded, her eyes darting to Danse, then back to Arthur. "I can play it for you, _and_ show you Dr. Walker's notes I copied from Dr. Amari's computer. But-" her face paled a little, her expression becoming grave. "-There's... more that I need to tell you."

 _'_ _Of course... there's always_ _more,'_ Arthur thought dryly. He started feeling uncomfortable at how uneasy Nora seemed, and when he glanced at Danse (who had remained mysteriously silent this whole time), he didn't like the dark look on the Paladin's face.

"The woman that I briefly met at the bar - the one that was a former vault dweller, like me - she... came to the State House while we were letting Hancock know what we found. And..." she braced herself, hoping Arthur's reaction wouldn't be as bad as Danse's was. "...She's from the Capital Wasteland. She might be able to help us figure this whole Dr. Amari thing out, but... she has a bit of a past with the Brotherhood, and was concerned about coming here... about how you would react to seeing her."

Arthur's face and posture slowly became more and more rigid as he listened to Nora talk. His lips parted silently for a few seconds, and when he finally spoke, she could hear the tightness in his voice.

"...Nora..." he rasped softly, " _who..._ did you find?"

Nora bit her bottom lip nervously when she saw Arthur's hands slowly clenching into fists at his sides. "I need you to try and be calm about this," she pleaded quietly. "I don't pretend to know the past, but I think there's a lot more to her... 'absence' than you or Danse are aware of."

Arthur turned to look at Danse again, his eyes widening. "...No..." he murmured in disbelief. Danse narrowed his eyes at Nora, then nodded reluctantly.

"...For the record, I was _not_ on board with her coming here," he said sternly. Arthur whipped his head towards Nora again.

"...You said she's... _here?_ " He asked her sharply. "As in... on board the _Prydwen?_ "

Danse shot her an 'I told you so' sort of look, and Nora held her hands up in front of her. "All right... I don't completely know _what_ happened years ago, but this woman was _still_ part of the Brotherhood. I thought we look after our own. Things must have soured at some point, but I think she at _least_ deserves to be heard out... I mean, she was a _Paladin_ , for pete's sake. You obviously don't get that title unless you _earn_ it."

She narrowed her eyes at Arthur. "You said yourself, it took Danse _years_ to obtain that title. Can't you at least _talk_ to her?"

Arthur fought with his emotions briefly. "...You don't understand, it's... complicated," he said stiffly.

"I understand that both you _and_ Danse have some kind of grudge against this woman. I don't pretend to know why. But if she was a respected Paladin, and then just up and left the Brotherhood one day with no notice, there _has_ to be some kind of explanation for it. I may not know her very well, but _you_ _two_ obviously do. Was she _really_ the sort of person to perform well enough to become a Paladin, and then just write off the Brotherhood like _that_?" She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

When Arthur looked downward and didn't say anything, Nora took a step closer to him and leaned in to catch his eyes. "Please... just do this for me," she said softly. "She could be really important to this whole Dr. Amari thing. If we don't figure out what's going on, a lot of innocent people could suffer. I don't want that to happen, and I _know_ you don't, either."

He looked back up at her, a cross expression on his face. "...I hate it when you do that," he muttered. The corner of Nora's mouth twitched again.

"...I know," she replied quietly.

He exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, running both hands through his hair. "...Where is she?" he eventually asked.

She reached forward to give his hands a gentle squeeze, then turned and headed back to the deck's entrance. Alexa was outside, leaning with her back against the wall, and turned her head when Nora appeared beside her.

"...I still think this is a horrible idea," she mumbled. Nora tried to smile reassuringly.

"Just... give him a chance," she whispered. "...He just might surprise you." She placed a hand on the sleeve of her coat and gently tugged a reluctant Alexa inside the room.

Danse was looking forward, arms crossed and avoiding eye contact with the women. Arthur stood stiffly and stared at them with narrowed eyes - almost as if Alexa was a deathclaw about to attack. She stopped halfway into the room, looking down at the floor for a few seconds before she slowly raised her eyes to Arthur's piercing gaze. There was what felt like a long silence before Alexa cleared her throat quietly.

"...Hello Arthur."

"It's _'_ _Elder'_ now," Danse reminded her coldly, still not turning his head towards her.

"Danse," Arthur chided gently, before turning his attention back to Alexa. He looked her up and down before meeting her eyes again. "...Howard," he grunted.

Another awkward silence.

"...I know you probably think that I abandoned the Brotherhood," Alexa started, "and I know that desertion may be punished. I... can't go into _why_ I left, but for what it's worth - it wasn't my choice. I didn't _want_ to leave." She paused, and Nora saw her eyes flicker in Danse's direction for the briefest of moments. "It... tore me up inside to leave behind everything I cared about," she murmured sadly. It could have just been Nora's imagination, but she thought she saw Danse's shoulders slump a little bit.

"I risked punishment coming here because I believe something sinister may be going on around the Commonwealth," she continued, "and because the well-being of innocent people is more important to me than my own. ...It always _has_ been. If there's some way that I can help people... I want to do so."

Arthur said nothing for a few moments as he contemplated her words. "You want my trust and acceptance - but you can't afford to give me the _same_ luxury by explaining your long absence. ...You surely understand my hesitation to rely on you, Howard," he explained.

Alexa nodded solemnly. "...I know," she sighed.

He slowly walked towards her, stopping only a couple feet in front of her. "My soldiers... everyone in the Brotherhood... I care _very_ much about all of them - and _not_ just because I am their Elder now. If anything - and I mean _anything_ \- were to happen that would endanger their lives even a _little_ because of you-"

"-then I would deserve whatever punishment you'd see fit to give me," Alexa finished for him. She suddenly stood up a little straighter, her voice becoming more firm. "Elder Lyons - both Owyn _and_ Sarah - once trusted me with the lives of everyone in the Brotherhood. I don't care how much time has passed or continues to pass - I would _gladly_ lay down my life before I _ever_ betrayed their trust. That's something that will _never_ change."

Arthur's eyes flashed angrily at the mention of the former Elders and a muscle tightened in his jaw, but Alexa stood her ground and didn't break eye contact. Nora raised her eyebrows in surprise as Danse's head slowly turned in their direction - his features softening a bit. Arthur took a deep breath, then turned around and headed back over to the windows, hands held behind his back once more. After a few moments of deliberation, he turned to face Nora.

"N- Knight Taylor... if you and Paladin Danse will please escort Ms. Howard to my office - I have a holotape I need to listen to, and then we all have some work ahead of us."


	29. Chapter 29 - Past Events

Once again, *SOOO* many thanks go out to my awesome beta reader, 'ScorpioSkies'! Sorry for the delay, hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Action is going to start picking up soon!

* * *

 _"N- Knight Taylor... if you and Paladin Danse will please escort Ms. Howard to my office - I have a holotape I need to listen to, and then we all have some work ahead of us."_

* * *

 _"...That's all I have to give. I wish you the very best, good luck, and... I hope it's not too late. ...For any of us."_

The holotape shut off with a click. Nora looked up from the table at Arthur, who had steepled his fingers in front of him as he thought. Danse was sitting directly across from her, Alexa at her right, and Dogmeat lying quietly at Nora's feet.

"Needless to say... this is definitely troubling," Arthur murmured. "The Institute is worrisome enough, but the thought that Dr. Walker might be working to control people's _minds -_ or perhaps _worse_... and might not be working _alone_ to do so." He sighed and looked up at Nora. "You said you have another file recovered from Dr. Amari's computer, correct?"

Nora nodded and gestured over to Arthur's terminal, popping the holotape out of her Pip-Boy in the process. The four of them stood and headed over to it, Arthur sitting down in the chair in front of it. Nora pushed the holotape into the monitor's slot, then opened the file for him to read.

When he leaned back in his chair after a few moments, she cleared her throat gently.

"I asked Hancock about the items, in case he could provide any useful insight. He thought the first three items weren't too likely to be used by Dr. Walker in conjunction with any kind of mind control or manipulation, since there seemed to be too big a risk that the user might go out of control and turn on him. He hadn't heard of the fourth item, however."

"We were hoping perhaps the scribes might have some more information about it," Danse added.

"Wise thinking," Arthur replied. "Senior Scribe Neriah is currently doing some experiments with plants... perhaps she might know something about it." He cast a wary eye towards Alexa. "...I don't suppose _you_ have any information on this?"

She pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. "Back in the Third Rail... I overheard a couple of wastelanders talking. They were discussing some plant with white flowers that some of their brahmin had accidentally eaten, because one of their farmhands hadn't cleared the area out first. I think it _was_ this 'Jimsom Weed' mentioned in the notes. They said the animals were acting kinda screwy, and it took days before they were back to normal again."

Arthur frowned and rubbed his bearded jaw. "I'd hate to see what it would do to _people_ , then... hopefully we won't have to find out." He pushed his chair back from the desk, then stood and turned to face the others.

"Well... while we wait for the scribes to look into this... we _do_ still have the Institute to deal with, unfortunately." He looked at Danse, then Nora, a conflicted look upon his face. "That means returning to the Glowing Sea to reconnect with Dr. Virgil regarding the Courser chip, and the schematics for the teleporter."

Nora was both reluctant _and_ eager for the mission. On the one hand, the Glowing Sea was one of the _last_ places she wanted to be - especially after what happened to her and Danse the last time they had gone. On the other hand, it was the only way she was ever going to get Shaun back. She refused to give up on him - she wouldn't rest until he was free from the Institute. From Arthur's expression, he clearly wasn't eager about them going either - but they knew it had to be done. She turned to face Alexa.

"Well... since you're kind of trying to lie low, you could always head back to Goodneighbor - we already know Hancock will let you stay at the State House, and I'd let you know the moment we heard anything new."

Alexa nodded when Nora suddenly noticed an odd, pensive look crossing Arthur's features.

"...No," he murmured, "...I have a _better_ idea." He stared at Alexa while pointing at Danse and Nora. "You're going _with_ them."

Three heads whipped in his direction at once.

" _What?!_ " they all snapped in unison.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Alexa. "You want to regain my trust? Fine - you can start by keeping two of my best soldiers safe. Fail me, and... well..." A dark look crossed his face. "...I _strongly_ suggest that you do _not_ fail me."

"Ar- _Elder_ ," Nora said sternly, "Danse and I do _not_ need a 'babysitter' - no offense," she added quickly, with a glance to Alexa. Danse himself looked livid.

"This is _not_ up for negotiation," Arthur insisted stiffly. "It's decided - and my decision is final."

Alexa gaped at Arthur for a moment, then glanced from Nora to Danse, holding his furious stare for a couple extra seconds before turning back to Arthur.

"I... have a request, if I may," she asked hesitantly.

"Which is?" he asked warily.

"...I don't want certain members of the Brotherhood to know that I'm at the Prydwen, let alone in the Commonwealth - particularly higher-ranking members. If we can somehow keep my presence here 'quiet' - I'll do what you request of me and follow your orders faithfully."

Danse's anger temporarily curbed itself as confusion at her odd request permeated his features. Arthur looked equally surprised, then narrowed his eyes again.

"...You mentioned _earlier_ that you couldn't disclose the reason for your long absence. Trust is a two-way street, Howard. I'm forced to trust you, but I need you to be honest with me - especially if you're going to be working with and helping to protect my soldiers."

 _'That sounds familiar,'_ Nora thought sarcastically.

When Alexa looked uncomfortable and hesitated, Arthur's expression softened a little. He took a few steps towards her, his voice more gentle.

"When you joined the Brotherhood of Steel all those years ago... I looked up to you. _Admired_ you. I was wary at first - you being an 'outsider', and all - but Owyn Lyons trusted your father, and in turn trusted _you_. In time, Sarah trusted you. And soon, people in the Brotherhood did, too. You saved hundreds of lives in the Capital Wasteland... maybe even _thousands_ \- at the risk of your own life. Even years after 'Project Purity' was completed, you still remained faithful to the Brotherhood, rising to the rank of Paladin. And despite the unfortunate circumstances of Sarah's death..." He paused for a moment, his expression a mix of pain and conflict.

"...I know how close the two of you were. I'm aware of how much she and her friendship meant to you. And I know how much the Brotherhood meant to you, too. I... don't believe you would accomplish what you did, and then turn your back on _all_ of it so callously - unless you had a _very_ good reason for doing so. ...Unless you felt that you had _no_ other choice."

Alexa looked shocked at his words, then bit her lip as she looked downward, her face reddening and her eyes beginning to water. Arthur took a deep breath, then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know we haven't always seen eye to eye on things," he continued softly, "but... let me _help_ you, Howard. Tell me what happened. I think after disappearing without a trace for so long... you at least owe me _that_ much."

She was silent for several long seconds. Nora heard her sniff and couldn't help glancing over at Danse, wishing immediately that she hadn't. The pained look on his face made her own chest tighten with sympathy. Finally, Alexa cleared her throat quietly.

"...You're right," she murmured. "You and Michael... you're _both_ entitled to an explanation. I just..." She slowly looked up, meeting his eyes reluctantly. "...I don't want anyone to get hurt because of _me_. I don't think I could stand it if that happened."

He considered her words for a moment.

"You _are_ still technically a member of the Brotherhood," he reminded her. "I'm responsible for the well-being of _all_ soldiers under my command. I doubt I have to tell you that I take that very seriously. If someone was threatening you in _any_ way, that is _not_ something that I'm prepared to tolerate."

"Even if... it was by someone _within_ the Brotherhood of Steel?" She asked before she could stop herself. "Even if it wasn't my _own_ safety that was at stake?"

His mouth dropped open, not sure which question to tackle first.

"Are you telling me... that there's someone in the Brotherhood that would harm a fellow member?" he asked hesitantly. He suddenly thought back to her earlier words. "...A _higher_ -ranking officer?" He shook his head in disbelief, as if trying to chase the thought away. He didn't always side with the Council of Elders, but if one of them secretly had it out for one of _his_ soldiers and took matters into their _own_ hands...

"Putting that aside for just a moment - _whose_ safety are you talking about?" he demanded. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then ran her hands through her hair in resignation.

"... _Yours_ ," she finally sighed heavily. "...Michael's. ... _Sarah's_. ...The people that would hurt me the very most."

Several things happened at once. Nora gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. Arthur's face immediately turned redder than she had ever seen, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, posture rapidly stiffening. In contrast, Danse's face paled considerably, his own mouth dropping open.

Though Nora didn't know much about Sarah Lyons, she knew a few things for certain: she'd been Elder Lyons's daughter. She'd been a Sentinel, and then became the Elder when her father had died. And, she was one of the very few people in Arthur's life that he had truly cared about, let alone gotten close to (and not because of a sense of obligation or duty).

Arthur's jaw clenched, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded low and strained.

"Let me make sure I understand this," he said, emphasizing every word carefully. "Am I correct in my deduction... that Sarah Lyons's death was _not_ an accident?"

Alexa opened her mouth to speak, then paused for second. "I... I don't know," she murmured dejectedly. "It... very well _could_ have been. But there _was_ a person or two that wasn't too unhappy when she was out of the picture. And if I didn't leave the Brotherhood when I did..." She took a deep breath as her eyes flitted between Arthur and Danse.

"...Someone else I truly cared about could have been next. It's not unusual for Brotherhood soldiers to die in the line of duty. What we do can be dangerous - we take many risks to ensure the safety of others. But I sure as hell wasn't going to risk staying if another 'unfortunate accident' would happen because of it. I... I _couldn't_ let that happen."

A small tear escaped out of the corner of one of Alexa's eyes, and she wiped it away furiously. She looked down at the ground, her face burning in shame. "...I didn't know what else to do," she said softly. "You know as well as I do that the Elders that were appointed after Sarah weren't as... 'efficient'. If I had told someone, and the... 'wrong person' had found out..." She trailed off, not quite sure what else to say.

A strained silence fell. Finally, Arthur took a deep breath and turned away from them, hands flying up to his hair as he closed his eyes in thought, trying to remain calm and in control. After several more seconds, Nora jumped as Danse's deep voice suddenly broke through the silence.

"... _Who_."

It was more of a statement than a question, more of a dangerous growl than a simple inquiry. Her gaze flew over to him, and she swallowed nervously at the dark expression on his face. When he didn't get an immediate response, he stalked over to Alexa and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her closer to him.

" _Who?_ " he repeated fiercely. "Who did this? Who could be responsible for such a thing?"

Alexa shook her head, avoiding his stare. "Michael-"

" _No_ ," Danse insisted, his grip tightening. "If you're telling the truth, then there is someone in the Brotherhood who doesn't belong. Anyone who would harm their fellow brothers and sisters in steel has no place amongst us!" He paused for a beat, his eyes boring into hers. "You may have left with the best of intentions, but you're not helping either myself or Elder Maxson by protecting their identity. Even after you left, could you guarantee that this person, or persons, wouldn't cause harm to others in the Brotherhood later on?"

Nora saw Alexa wince as his fingers unconsciously dug into her flesh, and she cleared her throat. " _Danse_ ," she urged him softly, looking down at his hands.

He blinked, distracted as he suddenly remembered Nora in the room, then followed her gaze. He instantly relaxed his grip, but didn't release Alexa.

"I guess... I hadn't thought of that," she conceded reluctantly. "I was so scared for you- for you _both_ ," she quickly corrected, "that I didn't consider someone _else_ might get hurt in the future as well. After Sarah, I just... didn't want to take the chance."

Danse took a deep breath and let go of her arms, while Arthur turned to face her again.

"This is a big problem," he said. "And I have _every_ intention to rectify it. But first, I need to know who did this to you." When she opened her mouth to protest, he held a hand up to stop her.

"I have to be able to trust _everyone_ in the Brotherhood," he insisted. "When I _can't_ , that's when things are in danger of falling apart. Distrust and disloyalty are what tore the Brotherhood apart in the _first_ place. I worked _very_ hard to bring the chapters back together... I'll be _damned_ if I let them be torn apart once more."

"And what if my information tears the Brotherhood apart _anyway_?" she asked him worriedly.

He frowned, then sighed and shook his head. "Then... that's a risk I have to take. I can't allow this kind of corruption in the Brotherhood to continue. We must stand together... or we'll surely fall together."

Alexa weighed the options in her mind. On the one hand, he _did_ have a point - if she wanted his trust, it was only fair to extend the same courtesy _back_ to him. But on the other... her eyes slowly traveled over to Michael. Gone was the anger and contempt he'd aimed at her before. In its place, he looked... concerned. Uncertain. Conflicted.

She tried to put herself in _his_ place. As difficult as it had been for her to do what she did all those years ago (even if she'd felt she had no choice), if their roles had been reversed... if _he_ had disappeared for years with no notice, rumored to be dead, fading into legend - and then just showed up out of the blue years later, not wanting to give an explanation... she would have been furious. Reacted the same way. ...Felt very hurt that after everything they'd been through... he _still_ left, and offered _no_ justification for his actions.

She'd never wanted to hurt him back then... and never wanted to hurt him ever _again_. Enough was enough, she decided - no more running, and no more hiding. If _anyone_ tried to do anything to hurt Arthur, or _especially_ Michael, she would do whatever it took to protect them - at the cost of her own _life_ , if necessary.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for her confession.

"...Elder Callahan," she finally murmured. "He approached me shortly after Sarah's passing, when I had been promoted to Paladin, and he had become the new Elder. He said that things had been changing in the Brotherhood ever since I had joined..."

She clenched her hands into fists, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"He said I was a negative influence upon my fellow soldiers, especially upon another recently promoted Paladin..." her eyes lingered for a moment on Danse, before returning to Arthur. "...and their 'up-and-coming Knight'. He said that it was my bad influence that killed Sarah, and that if I didn't 'fall back in line', it was only a matter of time before I got myself killed... or someone else."

She paused, then gasped softly as her eyes widened. "Oh my God... Richard," she mumbled, a hand flying to her mouth. "I... I can't believe I almost forgot Richard."

Nora raised an eyebrow, unsure of who 'Richard' was - but didn't have to wonder for long because Danse's jaw immediately dropped open, his eyes widening more than Alexa's.

"...C...Cutler?" he gasped disbelievingly, the color draining from his face once more.

 _'...Oh shit...'_ , thought Nora.

Alexa nodded sadly, her eyes beginning to water once more. "Like Sarah, I can't prove any _official_ involvement... but I have my suspicions. I'd told the Elder that the area he and his squad were headed to was dangerous, that he wasn't sending enough men for the job... but he wouldn't listen. Basically told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and to mind my own business. And then... well... as you know, Cutler and the others didn't return."

Nora bit her bottom lip and glanced at Danse again. His hands shook as they clenched into fists at his sides, a dark expression crossing his features once more.

Alexa sniffed and wiped at one of her eyes. "What... are you going to do?" she asked Arthur. "If Callahan knows that I'm still alive, that I came here and told you all this-"

"He won't," Arthur cut her off. His face looked hard, and Nora could practically see the gears turning in his head. "I'm not 100 percent certain of how I'll deal with this yet, but it _will_ be dealt with. You have my word on that. ...For _now_ , however..." His eyes swiveled amongst the three of them.

"...we _do_ need to destroy the Institute first, _and_ keep tabs on this situation with Dr. Amari - which means that the three of you must proceed to the Glowing Sea. In the meantime, I'll consider our next move and have our scribes look into the information you have procured." His eyes settled on Alexa and he paused before continuing, his voice now softer.

"I'm trusting you to keep my most trusted soldiers safe. I'll secure you a spare suit of power armor, and keep your arrival here quiet. You may stay in one of the spare officer's quarters we have aboard the Prydwen. Perform this task admirably... and I'll make sure you have the same rank and power you had before you were forced from the Brotherhood. Is that agreeable, Howard?"

Alexa stared at him for a long moment, then nodded and slowly raised a fist to her chest in a salute - something she hadn't done in a long time. "...Sir," she confirmed softly.

Arthur, satisfied with her reply, nodded back and glanced from Nora to Danse. His eyes rested on Danse for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"...Take the rest of the day to recover and prepare for your upcoming mission," he ordered them. "I imagine that Ingram has completed any necessary repairs to your armor. Now that we know where Virgil is located, the journey will hopefully be less arduous. Take plenty of medical supplies with you, just in case." His eyes shifted purposefully to Nora, as if to add, _' You especially.'_

She and Danse saluted him as well. The moment Arthur returned the gesture, Danse promptly turned on his heel and strode from the room without a glance or word to the others.

Nora watched him with concern and sighed softly. She nearly jumped when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"...Give him some time," Alexa murmured. "It's... a lot for him to take in all at once."

"Indeed," Arthur agreed stiffly, "which is why it might be wise for you to remain inconspicuous until you all return, Howard. I need to find a way to explain your arrival to the others carefully, while making sure the news stays _within_ the Prydwen. I'm sure it would be a bit... 'shocking', to say the least, for people to see a long-absent Paladin on board - especially one many thought dead. People are still adjusting to Paladin _Brandis's_ return, Brandis himself included."

"Br-" Alexa's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. "...What happened to Brandis?"

"It's kind of a long story... I'll explain later," Nora replied. "Come on... I know where there's an unoccupied room, and I'll get the spare power armor for you tomorrow so you won't have to keep sneaking around."

She and Alexa turned to head out of the room when Arthur cleared his throat behind them.

"Just a moment, _Knight_ \- there _is_ one final, small matter left to attend to."

Nora turned back to him with a confused expression, not sure what else there was to discuss. His eyes slowly traveled down towards her feet. She looked down to see Dogmeat still sitting there patiently. When he realized he had people's attention, his tail began thumping on the metal floor.

"Ohhh..." Nora murmured. She stooped down and scratched Dogmeat behind the ears. "Sorry boy - I almost forgot, in all the 'excitement'." He gave her a small ' _woof_ ' and licked her hand as she looked up at Arthur.

"I... don't suppose he could stay here while I'm gone? He's really no trouble, I swear," she said.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile at the way Nora almost sounded like one of the younger Squires. Having been raised on a somewhat-strict regimen, he'd never had the pleasure of having anything resembling a pet before, and the few dogs the Brotherhood had were usually cared for by the other soldiers.

"I suppose... I could allow him to sleep here in my room at night," he relented, "but it would be best if you could find someone to care for him during the day in your absence."

Nora thought for a moment, then smiled softly and nodded. "I think I have _just_ the person in mind. No problem."

Arthur nodded back. "Very good, then. You're both dismissed, and I'll see the three of you off tomorrow before you leave."

Alexa and Nora turned to leave, but not before Nora snuck one last peek at Arthur, who gave her another slight nod before turning back towards his terminal.

* * *

"I know it's not much... but I'm sure you'll be able to do a lot more with it when we return."

Alexa glanced around at the small room, bare except for a bed, a footlocker at the end of it, and a small desk and chair at the opposite side of the room. She shook her head and turned to Nora.

"No, it's... it's _more_ than fine." She smiled and placed a hand on Nora's shoulder. "I really owe you a lot. Thank you for everything, Nora."

"Don't thank me yet," Nora chuckled softly. "We still have to go to the Glowing Sea and see Dr. Virgil. It _should_ be a lot easier this time since Danse and I know exactly where we need to go, but you never know." She frowned as she thought of the scientist. "Uhh... that reminds me. About Dr. Virgil... there's something you need to know about him."

She gestured to the bed, and she and Alexa both took a seat on the edge. Dogmeat jumped up to lay beside Nora, while she took a deep breath and tried to think of how best to approach this.

"He used to work for the Institute, but escaped when he didn't like where their research was heading. That's when he hid out in the Glowing Sea, so they couldn't track him down easily."

"That's for sure," Alexa chimed in. "From what I've heard, _nothing_ about the Glowing Sea is easy."

"Definitely not," Nora agreed. "The first time Danse and I went, we had a run-in with a deathclaw and almost didn't make it back. We had to be rescued by a few other soldiers. "

She frowned at the memory, recalling how Danse had risked his life more than once to keep her safe. She was only too willing to do the same in return, but didn't like just how many people had risked their lives to rescue them that day - Arthur included.

Even though she'd been unconscious, the mental image of Arthur charging through the green fog in his power armor like some kind of gallant knight, her body draped in his arms, was enough to bring a warm flush to her cheeks. She realized Alexa was staring at her with a raised eyebrow and quickly cleared her throat.

"Anyway - Dr. Virgil did something... 'drastic', in order to protect himself from the high levels of radiation there. Before he went into hiding, he injected himself with a vial of the FEV virus."

"FEV?" Alexa asked in surprise. "You mean-"

"Yes," Nora replied. "Dr. Virgil is... a super mutant. An _intelligent_ one, for now... but the FEV is slowly affecting his mind. In exchange for helping me get inside the Institute, I promised him I'd help recover a serum he made in his lab - one that may actually _reverse_ the effects of the FEV virus."

" _Reverse_?" gasped Alexa. "That's- I mean..." she shook her head and stared down at the floor in shock. "...We always thought it was impossible."

Nora bit her bottom lip nervously. "I... know this may be difficult for you to hear. Danse confided in me a while ago about what happened to Cutler. ...You can't blame yourself for what happened any more than Danse can. There was nothing _anyone_ could have done back then. But now... maybe things could be different. Maybe no one will have to suffer that way ever again. That's why it's so important to get that serum to Virgil and see if he's right. I just..." She shrugged her shoulders and gave Alexa's hand a gentle squeeze.

"...I had to let you know what you were going to be getting into tomorrow. I had to stop Danse from shooting Virgil when we first met him... I didn't know if _you_ were going to have the same reaction - though I wouldn't have entirely blamed you if you did."

Alexa was silent for a long moment, then the corner of her mouth turned up a little. "You haven't heard too much about my time in the Capital Wasteland, have you?"

Nora shook her head, realizing Alexa still didn't know about Vault 111 or Nora's past yet. "To make a longer story short - I only became aware of things 'up here' in the Wasteland less than a year ago."

"Well... not only was one of my traveling companions a super mutant, but _he_ was the one that actually activated the water purifier in the Capital Wasteland many years back - the one that made clean drinking water possible there. The inner chamber of the purifier was filled with a lethal amount of radiation - it would have killed Sarah or I in seconds if we entered it. Fawkes - the super mutant - was of course immune to the radiation, so he agreed to go inside and start the machine up."

Nora held up her hands in front of her. "Wait, wait, let me just get this straight - the 'person' responsible for saving maybe thousands of lives in the Capital Wasteland... was a _super_ _mutant?_ "

"Well... Sarah and I helped a _little_ ," Alexa replied with mock indignation, "as well as the _rest_ of the Brotherhood. But as you can imagine, Fawkes's role isn't publicly known. I don't think many people could handle the truth, unfortunately. _So_ many people owe their lives to a super mutant - and they don't even know it. It's a shame... he really wasn't a bad friend."

Nora's eyebrows rose. "All the super mutants I've encountered - save for Virgil - have only tried to smash my brains in. What made Fawkes different?"

Alexa pondered this for a moment. "You know... I'm _still_ not 100 percent sure. Even though Fawkes forgot about who he was before he became a mutant, he still possessed morals and remarkable intelligence. Because he was so different from the other super mutants in Vault 87 - where I first met him - he was confined in a medical observation cell in the lab area as a 'curiosity'. I freed him in exchange for him retrieving the Garden of Eden Creation Kit device from a radioactive section of the vault - I needed it to make the water purifier work. We separated for a bit after that, but he found me again later and occasionally came with me on my travels. I haven't seen him for... a long time now."

 _"We all have our own destinies,"_ he had told her the last time she had seen him, _"and I believe it's time that I seek out my own. Farewell, my friend... I do hope we meet again someday."_

"So... how did the Brotherhood feel about this?" Nora asked curiously. "I can't imagine they were too thrilled about you having a super mutant for a friend. Many of them don't like me being friends with Hancock, and he's still human."

"They weren't totally happy... especially Michael, of course," she replied. "Richard hadn't disappeared just yet, so although Michael strongly disliked my friendship with Fawkes, he tolerated it as long as Fawkes 'behaved himself'. After what happened to Richard, though... that's when Fawkes and I went our separate ways. "

She paused as she reminisced, then looked over at Dogmeat - who still lay beside Nora on the bed. She chuckled softly and ruffled his fur a little, earning her hand a small lick in return. "I didn't get a chance to ask what his name is," she said with a smile.

"Dogmeat," said Nora, "...I know, it's kind of a weird name. In my defense, I didn't pick it out - he already had it when I met him, and we've been a good team ever since."

Alexa raised an eyebrow. "It's... more common than you'd think, believe it or not," she grinned. "Well... I think I'm going to skip dinner and catch up on some sleep. It's been a long, emotional day, and I have a feeling I'll want to save some strength for tomorrow." She gave Nora's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you again... for everything. I owe you a lot."

Nora waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it... you're Brotherhood. We look out for each other - but I would have done the same even if you _weren't_." As she rose and patted her thigh, Dogmeat jumped down from the bed and stood at her side. "I'll come wake you tomorrow with your spare armor, okay?"

Alexa nodded with a yawn, deciding to have Nora catch her up on all the Brotherhood's happenings during her absence tomorrow.

* * *

Nora found what - or more specifically, _who_ \- she was looking for in the dining area of the Prydwen. She headed over to the table, cleared her throat gently, and smiled when Paladin Williams and his son Jacob turned from their dinner to look at her.

"Evening Paladin, Squire."

Williams smiled back warmly upon seeing the Knight. "Knight Taylor! You're looking well." One of his eyebrows raised when he spotted Dogmeat beside her. "...And I see you also brought a friend! Hey boy... good to see _you_ again, too."

He gave the canine a gentle pat on the head. Dogmeat gave a small ' _woof_ ' and licked his hand, his tail starting to wag. As cheerful as Paladin Williams looked upon seeing Nora and Dogmeat, Jake's face positively lit up at the sight of the canine.

"Oh! A dog! Can I-"

He must have thought he'd crossed some kind of inappropriate boundary, because he immediately cleared his throat and stiffened.

"Uh... permission to approach, ma'am?"

Williams grinned as Nora laughed and nodded. "At ease, Squire, he's friendly."

As Jake approached, she subtly held her hand out to him, a piece of dried radstag concealed inside. Dogmeat sniffed the air, his eyes immediately flying to Nora's hand.

"Here - it's his favorite," she murmured. "Don't worry - he'll be very gentle and won't bite."

Jake took the meat from her gingerly, then looked at Dogmeat with awe. He slowly held his hand out and waited. Dogmeat sniffed his hand a few times, then took the meat and wolfed it down in a matter of seconds. After licking his chops, he gave Jake a grateful bark and jumped up, his front paws landing on the Squire's chest. He proceeded to lick Jake's face eagerly, which made Jake break out into peals of gleeful laughter.

Both Williams and Nora laughed this time as she turned to the Paladin. "You know sir... I have a mission with Paladin Danse tomorrow. Ideally I should be back later the same day, but just in case - I need someone to look after Dogmeat for me. Someone mature, caring, and trustworthy. It might be a big responsibility, but I would be _very_ grateful if you knew someone who could do this for me."

She winked an eye and raised her eyebrows as Jake gasped quietly. Williams rubbed his scruff and appeared to consider this for a moment.

"Hmm... someone mature, caring, and trustworthy... well, maybe Knight Womack is available."

She caught a small wink back from him and shook her head with a sigh. "He and Brooks are out on a feral-scouting mission."

"Well..." he paused again, trying not to smile as his son began to squirm. "...Perhaps Knight McKenzie could do it?"

"Tried her... she's busy too," Nora replied, the corner of her mouth twitching a little. "Maybe... one of the Squires would be good?"

"A novel idea!" Williams said cheerfully, ignoring Jake as he stood up straighter. "Do you know if Squire Lucas is free?"

"Dad..." Jake prodded, a slight whine starting to creep into his voice.

Williams looked over at Jake and blinked in mock confusion. "Oh, Jake... I forgot you were still here. Do you know any good Squires that are around?"

" _DAD!_ " Jake burst out, unable to hold himself back anymore.

"Oh, that's right... _you're_ a Squire, aren't you?"

Jake rolled his eyes as Williams and Nora burst out laughing. "Dad, you are _so_ lame sometimes," he complained.

"You didn't think I was so lame when I let you try my power armor helmet on," Williams retorted.

"Yeah well, that was... different." he murmured.

Williams laughed again as Nora grinned at him. "Dogmeat doesn't need much care," she explained. "He just needs to be fed and given some water a couple times a day. He's also really smart - he'll let you know if he needs to be... 'walked'. If you walk him a bit around the airport, he'll be fine. Just in case we don't make it back by tomorrow night, Elder Maxson already told me that Dogmeat could spend the night in _his_ quarters."

"Oh _really_?" Williams grinned mischievously. "That was generous of him." The tone in his voice made Nora turn slightly pink.

Jake, oblivious to his father's teasing, patted Dogmeat's back and giggled when the dog lay down, then rolled over onto his back for tummy scratches.

"Does he do any tricks?" Jake asked eagerly, rubbing Dogmeat's stomach as the dog's tongue lolled out of his mouth happily.

"Well, he does an amusing impression of a rabbit," Nora replied. "Dogmeat - you wanna show Jake your bunny trick?"

Dogmeat rolled back to his feet, sat on his hind legs, and held his front paws up in front of him, looking like a rabbit scouting around a field.

"Haha - neat!" Jake exclaimed. "Does he do anything else?"

"Like I said, he's very smart," Nora replied. "He can sit, lay, fetch, roll over… he helped me track down a man I was looking for by sniffing him out, and he's also a good guard dog. He protected me from bugs, mole rats, and feral ghouls before I joined the Brotherhood, and even helped protect Paladin Danse at the police station when we first met him."

"Really?" Jake asked, his eyes widening.

Nora nodded. "We were surrounded by feral ghouls, and one almost bit Paladin Danse when he was fighting off another one - but Dogmeat leapt up and attacked it before it could hurt him." She leaned forward and held a hand up to the side of her mouth. "...Just don't tell him I told you that," she whispered with a smile.

Jake stared at Dogmeat in awe. "Woah... he's like a hero!"

"Which means you'll have to do an extra-good job of watching over him for Knight Taylor," Williams said with a smile.

Jake's head snapped over to him, then to Nora. "Really? I get to take care of him?" he asked excitedly.

Nora chuckled and nodded again. "I could think of no one better," she replied. She raised a fist to her chest and saluted him. "I know you'll make me proud, Squire."

Jake stood up straight and saluted her back enthusiastically. "Ma'am! Thank you, ma'am! I will, I swear!"

"Good," she smiled. "Then I'll let you guys get back to your dinner, and I'll drop off Dogmeat before we leave tomorrow." As she turned to go, she heard Williams gently clear his throat behind her.

"Oh, and Taylor-" he said. "Good luck to you and Danse with your mission tomorrow. Give 'em hell, soldier." He smiled and saluted her, which she gratefully returned.

"Thank you, sir. I'll sure as hell do my best."

* * *

Arthur tossed the whiskey glass back and let out a small grunt, feeling the familiar burn at the back of his throat. It had been quite a while since he'd had a drink. He'd been determined to keep his mind clear to deal with the Institute and the increase in Super Mutants in the area - but under the recent circumstances, he felt one or two were in order.

Learning that Paladin Alexa Howard was indeed alive and well had been one shock, seeing her standing _right_ in front of him had certainly been another - but nothing could have prepared him for the bombshell of information she'd dropped on him and Danse earlier that day.

Callahan... Cutler... _Sarah_... Arthur's head almost swam thinking of it all again, and he knew it had nothing to do with the whiskey. His fingers tightened around the glass as his mind began to wander, recalling a memory many years ago when he wasn't even a Knight yet...

* * *

 _"Careful there, young Aspirant!" one of the older Paladins called after Arthur, as the pre-teen darted around him and hurried to his room at the Citadel._

 _He supposed he should learn the name of every soldier here, especially since it had been drilled into him multiple times that he was destined to become the Elder someday and lead them all ... but now wasn't the time to think of such things. Head Scribe Rothchild had finally released him from his day's training, and Arthur was eager to give his mind a small rest._

 _As he sprinted around a corner of the maze-like building, he smacked straight into a warm body and fell backwards onto the hard floor with a soft "Oof!". As he shook his head to clear it, he heard a feminine chuckle, followed by a familiar voice._

 _"Easy, kid - you could hurt yourself racing around here like that. ...Although, if what I heard about you yesterday is true, you're probably a lot more tougher than I thought."_

 _Only one person at the Citadel ever called Arthur 'kid' - only one person ever 'dared' to address THE Arthur Maxson that way. He couldn't help the smile that threatened to cross his face as he looked up at Knight Alexa Howard, who grinned back down at him. She offered him a hand to help him up, which he gladly took before dusting himself off._

 _"Maybe... what did you hear?" he asked her curiously. He had seen a few soldiers whispering and peeking at him in the hallways, but didn't know exactly what had been going around. She brushed a strand of her long coppery hair behind one ear and pretended to think for a moment._

 _"Hmm. Just that the 'great Arthur Maxson, future leader of our organization and owner of the soul forged in eternal steel', killed two raiders while on his training patrol - thus saving the very squad that was supposed to escort him back to the Citadel unharmed. Not bad, kid... pretty impressive for a 12-year-old."_

 _His hint of a smile vanished as quickly as it had threatened to appear. It wasn't the first time a story about him had been slightly exaggerated, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last. He shifted uncomfortably and looked around to see if anyone else was in earshot, then looked down at the floor, finding it much more important than meeting the Knight's eyes at that moment._

 _"I... I was defending my fellow soldiers, but... I didn't actually mean to kill the raiders," he admitted quietly. "I just kind of... got lucky. The raiders were about to shoot them , so I just kind of... reacted."_

 _Alexa's grin disappeared. She stared at him for a moment, then gently put a hand on his shoulder. "You've... never actually killed anyone before, have you Arthur?"_

 _He shook his head slowly, still not meeting her eyes. He didn't know what bothered him more - killing another human being for the first time, or trying to hide the fact that it had been done unintentionally - especially when everyone always seemed to expect so much from him. He knew that as a Brotherhood soldier, he'd probably have to kill lots of people in his lifetime - he just... somehow thought that it would have been a little bit easier than it actually was. He knew raiders were bad, and couldn't allow them to kill his fellow brothers and sisters in steel, but..._

 _"Arthur," Alexa prodded again gently, snapping him out of his train of thought. He reluctantly looked up at her and was surprised to see what looked like sympathy on her face, instead of disappointment or criticism. She smiled at him again, but this time it was different - this smile almost seemed... sad._

 _"I understand how you feel," she said softly. "The first time I had to take a life... well, needless to say, it wasn't easy. When I left Vault 101 in search of my father, I had to adapt to the Wasteland quickly. My life depended on it. It didn't lessen the guilt, though." She sighed and shook her head._

 _"I can't tell you that it gets easier , per se... but you get a little more used to it each time, come to accept it as part of your life. Life is all about choices - and there will be times that you might have to make some difficult ones to protect the people and things that you care about. Do you understand what I'm saying?"_

 _He nodded solemnly, mulling her words over in his head. He didn't have to like it, but this was going to be part of his life now. It was inevitable. All he could do was try his best and just keep moving forward. He opened his mouth to speak when an older, deeper voice sounded from behind him._

 _"There you are, Aspirant. Elder Lyons is looking for you."_

 _Alexa looked up and Arthur turned to see a middle-aged man with short, gray hair approaching them, an air of superiority and authority surrounding him. The man narrowed his eyes when he spotted Alexa._

 _"Knight Howard," he grunted, "I certainly hope you're not giving our young Maxson any... 'misguided' advice. He is being trained by some of the best minds and bodies in the Citadel. We wouldn't want his ideals to become... 'confused' now, would we?"_

 _Alexa's face visibly tightened, her posture straightening as she patted Arthur's shoulder._

 _"Paladin Callahan," she responded stiffly. "Not to worry - I was just congratulating Aspirant Maxson on his heroic deeds yesterday. He's sure to be a real asset to the Brotherhood in the future."_

 _"...Indeed," the Paladin replied, an odd tone to his voice Arthur couldn't quite identify. His gaze moved to Arthur._

 _"Aspirant, Elder Lyons would like a few words with you. You are to report to his quarters as soon as possible. And as for you , Knight-" he looked back up at Alexa. "Sentinel Lyons would like a few words with you as well. She's located in the Lyons' Den." A strange expression crossed his face, almost... dangerous-looking, like restrained anger - and it made Arthur want to shiver. Instead, he simply saluted the Paladin like a good subordinate was expected to._

 _"Yes sir... ad victoriam," he replied. Alexa merely stood there staring at Paladin Callahan, still as a statue. He cast her one last steely look before swiftly turning on his heel and stalking away._

 _"...That man regards me like he regards getting an enema," Alexa mumbled, seeming lost in thought. Arthur quirked up an eyebrow in confusion._

 _"What's an enema?" he asked her curiously. She did a double-take at him, as if she'd momentarily forgotten that he was still standing there._

 _"I- you know what, never mind," she replied, waving a hand flippantly in the air. "It's something that you'll hopefully never have to learn about." She sighed and shook her head, then gestured in the opposite direction with her chin._

 _"You'd better get going... you don't want to keep Elder Lyons waiting."_

 _Arthur turned and started to head off, then paused. He looked back at Alexa, a sad expression on his face._

 _"Elder Lyons... he's... he's not going to get any better... is he?" he asked her softly._

 _Alexa stared at him for several long moments. Arthur was no fool. The Elder had become more and more bedridden lately, and when he was up and around, he limped with a cane and looked drawn, tired... weak. Arthur had seen Sarah around less and less. Soldiers whispered in the Citadel halls, and avoided his eyes as much as possible. He knew the answer to the question before he even finished asking it, but still waited patiently for a response._

 _Alexa's mouth opened, but no sound emerged at first. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and when they opened once more she looked weary._

 _"Arthur..." she started quietly, "Elder Lyons is... a very old man. He was old when I first met the Brotherhood a few years ago. He's lived a good, long life, but... as much as it pains me to say it, his time... may be growing short."_

 _Arthur's eyes dropped down to the floor. He heard footsteps shuffle towards him slowly, and looked up again when Alexa kneeled down to look directly into his eyes._

 _"...Listen to me very carefully, and don't repeat what I'm going to tell you to anyone , do you understand?" she asked him quietly. Arthur nodded. She took another deep breath and looked at him with intensity while she spoke._

 _"I know it's scary to think about losing someone you care about... especially if you may not have a lot of family, or if there aren't a lot of people you may be close to . But no matter what happens in the future... Sarah will still be here for you. Knight Danse will still be here for you - even if he is a pain in the butt sometimes." (Arthur's mouth twitched slightly at that.) "And I will still be here for you, too. We care about you, very much - and not because of what your name is, or what your ancestors may have done... but because of what's in here ." She placed a hand gently over his heart, then continued._

 _"There's people that are teaching and training you to be the best member of the Brotherhood that you can be... but often times they forget that there's still a young man behind the Maxson name - not some unthinking, unfeeling, mindless robot. So... if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, or go to for any reason... know that you can always come to me, at any time of day - and I swear that anything that's discussed between us will stay just between us. Okay?"_

 _Arthur stared at her in surprise, not sure how to respond at first. The only other person that was ever this open with him was Elder Lyons - even Sarah sometimes treated him like 'the future great Elder'. But... to know that he had a confidant, someone to share things with if he ever needed to - it was... nice. A bit foreign, but nice. He paused for a moment, then nodded - a hint of a smile appearing once more on his face._

 _"...Thank you, Knight Howard," he replied. "That's very kind of you."_

 _"Alexa," she said with a soft smile. "I know what protocol dictates - but if it's just you and I, you can address me by my first name. ...You'd better be heading off, though. I admit, I wouldn't want Paladin Callahan to come looking for you again - I'm already not his favorite soldier, and I wouldn't want to 'distract our young Maxson' further."_

 _She performed air quotes as she said it and rolled her eyes, which made Arthur chuckle slightly. He couldn't help wondering why Paladin Callahan didn't seem to like Alexa. She seemed nice enough, followed orders well, and had even performed heroic deeds with Sarah that had saved the Wasteland from the Enclave and brought fresh drinking water to the people. Elder Lyons and Sarah both liked and respected her, as well as many other members of the Brotherhood. So why...?_

 _He pushed the thought out of his head for now and started heading down the hallway towards Elder Lyons' chambers. As he neared the end of the hall, he turned back to glance at her one last time. She had turned the opposite way, and he spotted Knight Michael Danse walking towards her._

 _Arthur liked Knight Danse, viewed him as a bit of a role model. He was an excellent soldier - followed orders well, was always respectful to others, had performed heroic deeds countless times, and still remained humble about it. He treated Arthur kindly too, without Arthur feeling as if the Knight had some kind of ulterior motive (as he suspected of some of the other soldiers)._

 _He admired the way he was tough but fair on his inferiors, his strength, his sense of duty... he even admired his hair style, as silly as it sounded. Older Brotherhood members had their hair completely shaved or clipped close to the scalp all over - but Danse wore his longer and combed back on the top, with the lower back and sides cut short. He was also allowing his facial hair to grow a little. Arthur liked it... maybe when he was older, he'd wear his hair like that, too._

 _Danse approached Alexa with a small smile on his face. Her expression must not have matched his, because his smile quickly faded and he placed a hand on her shoulder. He heard Alexa talking quietly, and whatever she said must have not been good, because Danse's expression grew concerned._

 _Arthur ducked behind the next corner and peeked around it at them. He knew he probably shouldn't be spying on them, but his curiosity won over his sense of logic. He watched as Danse said something to Alexa, cast a brief glance around them, then slid his large arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug._

 _Arthur's eyebrows rose. He'd had a slight suspicion that Alexa might have fancied Danse - her face always reddened a bit whenever he was around, and he'd overheard Sarah teasing her a little about him a couple of times. He just wasn't aware that those feelings were in any way reciprocated - Danse always seemed so guarded with his personal feelings, always so professional._

 _He wanted to watch them a little bit longer, but didn't want to get Alexa in trouble if Paladin Callahan came looking for him again. Besides, Elder Lyons was waiting for him - and he was the last person Arthur wanted to disrespect._

 _He turned and headed towards the Elder's chambers, curious as to what Elder Lyons wanted to discuss with him._

* * *

A soft knock on Arthur's door shook him out of his memory and back to the present. He pushed the whiskey glass aside and stood up from the table, taking a moment to compose himself before he made his way to the door and pulled it open. He was unsurprised to see Nora standing on the other side, a concerned look on her face.

Before she could even open her mouth he stepped aside to let her in. She waited until he shut the door behind her before taking a deep breath.

"I know this is a stupid question, but... how are you doing? Are you all right?" she asked. "I'm sure that... was a lot for you to handle earlier, I'm sorry."

As he stared at her silently for a moment, Nora's eyebrows rose at the odd expression on his face. He suddenly moved towards her and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"...Arthur..." she mumbled, her voice muffled since her face was pressed against his leather-clad shoulder.

"She was wrong," he murmured sadly, and Nora had a feeling that he was talking to himself more than her. "I lost them. Elder Lyons... Sarah... and Alexa too, or so I thought. I couldn't help them. Couldn't do _anything_." He pulled his head back momentarily to place a gentle kiss against the side of her forehead and nuzzled his cheek against hers. "...I don't want to lose you too, Nora."

She caught a faint scent of alcohol and frowned, her chest tightening as a pang of sympathy hit her. She hated to see him upset, especially if it involved _her_ in any way. She pushed back from him gently to look into his eyes.

"Hey... there _are_ no guarantees in life, remember?" she said softly. "It's a dangerous job we all have here. Losing someone you care about... well, frankly - it _sucks_. It sucks _immensely._ It's one of the very worst things in life. All we can do-" she reached up and cupped his cheek lovingly, another pang going through her when he leaned eagerly into her touch, "- is live for today and hope for the best."

He sighed and reached for the bottle of whiskey on the table, but she leaned over him and pushed it away from his hand.

"No," she stated firmly, ignoring his grunt of protest. "You don't need any more of that, it won't help you." She took his hands in hers. "You need to let go of what happened in the past. You don't have to like it, but you can't change it. It's over and done with. Think about what needs to be done _now_."

He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "...You're right," he conceded. "It's a waste of my time and energy. If I want to make things right, I need to concentrate on the present." He wrapped his arms around her again, more gently than before.

"Thank you, Nora... for reminding me of what's important."

"Hey, you'd do the same thing for me if I needed it," she replied, then smiled jokingly. "...Either that, or make me run death sprints with Danse until I passed out."

Arthur chuckled softly, then pressed a tender kiss to her lips. He felt his coat being pushed off of his shoulders, then noticed the zipper on the front of his suit being slowly pulled down.

"Nora..." he mumbled, but she responded by placing a finger against his lips.

"Sshhh... enough. It's been a long day, and we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow... it's time to rest." She kissed his cheek, then trailed soft kisses down the side of his neck, smiling when she felt Arthur's throat rumble quietly with approval. "I love you, Arthur. Just... let me take care of you tonight."

She took Arthur by the hand and led him towards his bed, and he couldn't find it in him to refuse her.

* * *

Yes, it's safe to say that the story is definitely taking an AU-ish turn now. I'm going to try to keep past dates/events as straight as I can, but please bear with any mistakes I make. Sorry again for a lag in chapter updates - I'm officially halfway through my pregnancy at this point and dealing w/ stuff at work, so life is kind of detouring me a bit, lol. There's a lot more good stuff to come, so please be patient with me!

Oh, and I saw someone's screencapture of Danse with Maxson's haircut, so I got the idea to make THAT what younger Danse looked like in my fic. It's my headcanon that Arthur looked/looks up to Danse, and would thus influence his life in different ways. :-)

PS: No, I didn't forget about Dogmeat at the end of the chapter, I promise... there'll be a little blurb about him later, it just didn't quite fit in at the end of this chapter smoothly (little details, lol).

Next up: the trio venture to the Glowing Sea to see Virgil!


	30. Ch 30 - Return to the Glowing Sea, Pt 1

Once again, many, *many* thanks go out to my awesome beta reader, 'ScorpioSkies'! I'd be so lost without her!

* * *

LAST CHAPTER: Arthur, Danse, Alexa, and Nora listened to Amari's holotape together. Arthur ordered Alexa to accompany Danse and Nora on their Glowing Sea mission to help him regain his trust in her. After some prodding, Alexa finally explained her leave from the BoS. Nora recruited Jake Williams to watch Dogmeat while they'd be gone. Arthur reminisced about the past.

* * *

"...He should have been back by now," the man rasped, getting more irritable by the minute. He began pacing the floor of the makeshift lab, looking somewhat like a caged tiger.

"Patience," his partner replied, trying to keep an even tone to his voice. "You know as well as I do that the Wasteland is a hazardous place." At times like this, he was grateful that he was a little more level-headed than the other man.

"He's taking too long. At this rate, we'll be discovered by the damn Brotherhood of Steel before we can further the plan. It's bad enough that they're not too far off our trail as it is." He paused to glare at the other man. "You know as well as _I_ do that _she's_ one of their soldiers now."

"It will only hinder us to act rashly," the second man said, enunciating every word with purpose. "She may be one of them, but they have no current leads. He took extra care to make sure of that. There are 'no witnesses', remember?"

He picked up a glass test tube and slowly stirred the liquid inside with a long metal rod. The liquid went from a transparent, clear color to a cloudy, very pale green. He smiled at the reaction. Perfect.

"And if she gets too close to the truth before we're ready," he continued, "we'll just have the raiders deal with her. Simple. But it won't come to that. We've tied all of our loose ends so far, we never stay in one place for too long, and we leave no traces behind. We have nothing to worry about."

The first man ' _hmph_ 'ed and rubbed his hairless, irradiated scalp, hoping they wouldn't have to wait much longer. He'd _been_ patient for over 200 years... his restraint was finally beginning to run out.

"Another thing," he grumbled. "It's foolish to involve raiders in this as well. They're unpredictable, generally weak-minded, and unruly savages. There's no telling what could happen, Walker."

"We've been _over_ this," Walker replied, his own patience beginning to wane. "Yes, using raiders is a gamble - but they're quite predictable, if you study them enough. You must have seen that over time. Give them enough food, chems, alcohol and weapons, and they'll either do what you say or end up destroying each other _for_ you."

He turned from the table he was working at to peer at the ghoul. "Besides," he went on, "it will all be worth it when the Institute and the Brotherhood are _both_ out of the picture."

The ghoul opened his mouth to reply when the door to the lab opened. In walked another man dressed in raider armor from head to toe, complete with a gas mask covering his face.

"It's about time, S9-43," the ghoul snapped, ignoring the reproachful look he received from Walker. "What took you so long?"

The newcomer grunted and turned towards the ghoul, then pulled off his mask and ran a hand through his hair. "I told you, _don't_ call me that," he growled. "I was... held up. Super Mutants."

"It's all right, S9," Walker said smoothly, ignoring the man's request. "Dr. Hines and I are both aware of the obstacles that can be encountered in the Wasteland - _aren't_ we, Robert?"

Hines clenched his jaw, and for a moment Walker thought that he was going to argue - but he merely inhaled deeply through his nostrils (what _remained_ of them) and nodded.

Walker gave a slight nod in response and turned back to his work at the table. "So how did it go, S9? Were you able to procure what we needed?"

S9 frowned at him for a moment, then reached into a bag at his side and pulled out a fistful of leafy plants - each with thick, pale yellow-green stems. "I wish you wouldn't make me do this," he grumbled. "These things smell awful."

Walker chuckled softly. "Yes, they _do_ carry a rather... 'interesting' aroma, don't they? One of the downsides to working with them, unfortunately. But - such is the price of science, I suppose." He took the plants from S9 and placed them on the table.

S9 stared at him for a long moment, then cleared his throat. "I don't want to be called by my designation any more," he said quietly.

Before Walker could respond, Hines snorted and shook his head. "Remember your place, S9-43," he threatened. "You should be grateful to us - to _Dr. Walker_. He was the one who brought you into this world. You wouldn't even _be_ here if not for him. Don't forget - you weren't even supposed to _exist_. You are merely a synth, a copy, a... a _thing_ \- you should take whatever he or I choose to give you and be _thankful_ for it."

"That's _enough_ , Robert," Walker said in a firm tone. He stopped working and turned to face the two of them, shooting Hines another reproachful look. Hines made a hissing noise and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. Walker turned his attention to the synth, who was glaring dangerously at Hines.

"S9," he began patiently. "I understand why there would be some confusion, or frustration, given your... 'memories'..."

He trailed off, then shook his head slowly.

"...But you have a different life now. A different purpose. You need to understand. You shouldn't shy away from it... on the contrary - you should _embrace_ it. You can start over, have a second chance to be a part of something _great_."

S9's fists clenched at his sides, and Walker sighed as he put on a sympathetic expression.

"I can't give you your old life," he continued. " _No one_ can. But give me time, and I'll see what I can do to help you."

S9 didn't respond at first, then turned his head and looked out the lab's window to the locked room across the hallway.

"...And what about _her_?" he asked. "What are you going to do with her?"

Walker and Hines followed his gaze. Behind the opposite rooms window, they could see a brunette woman in a lab coat, sitting at a desk reading a book. She scowled at all of them when she noticed them staring and looked away.

"Dr. Amari will be just fine - provided she's cooperative with us," Walker replied. "An intelligent mind like hers is too valuable to waste. In time, she will see the merit in our work."

"And if she doesn't?" S9 inquired stiffly. When Walker didn't respond right away, S9's fists clenched at his sides again.

"People... are going to get hurt, aren't they?" he asked softly. "... _Innocent_ people."

"No one that doesn't have it coming," Hines grumbled, his back still turned away.

Walker closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He opened them again and looked at S9.

"... _No one_ is innocent in the Wasteland, S9," he replied gravely. "Even those that would have you believe otherwise. It is very important that you remember that. Everyone is out for themselves, doing what it takes to survive, to be strong. Even the people that _seem_ 'innocent' would just as soon turn on you, if it was in their best interest. Why, just look at the very people that we're working against." He stood up from the table and placed a hand on S9's shoulder.

"The Institute wasn't even going to let you be... 'born', in a manner of speaking. You were a realized idea that never came to fruition. _I_ saw your potential. Had I released you and left you in the Institute's care, you would have been little more than a slave, or a science experiment for the rest of your life. The Brotherhood of Steel, on the other hand -"

Hines immediately stiffened, but Walker ignored him and continued.

"Well, they believe that all synths are monsters that should be wiped off the face of the Earth. They would not only halt the _creation_ of synths, but destroy all _existing_ synths as well. Dr. Hines and I may not be interested in creating _more_ synths, but we don't want to see you _destroyed_ , either." He shook his head.

"You are special, S9... and if you ventured out into the Wasteland without being cautious, and someone discovered what you were, they would most likely want to harm you. _We_ are your best chance for a relatively normal life now. As for everyone _else_... well, the world has changed greatly since Dr. Hines's time. Survival of the fittest, as they say, and that's exactly what he and I intend to do - not only survive, but make sure the human race _thrives_ once more. With our work, mankind can be what it once was... maybe even _greater_."

He shrugged his shoulders, his expression growing somber. "There _may_ be some sacrifice needed of a person or two... but such is the price of advancement. We can't move forward for the greater good without taking a few risks here and there. You'll see - it will not only be necessary, but it will be _more_ than worth it in the future."

He patted the synth's shoulder. "Take a little time for yourself, S9... I need you at your very best for the next part of our plan."

S9 didn't look wholly convinced, but nodded hesitantly and walked from the room.

Hines watched him go for a moment, then turned to face Walker. "He could be a problem in the future," he murmured with a scowl. "...You _know_ he's a risk."

"Yes..." Walker murmured, his expression growing cold, "...but as I said - what is science without risk? We know what 'makes him tick', so to speak. If he shows signs of possible betrayal, we both know how to make him... 'cooperate'."

Hines smiled briefly, then frowned again. "And what about ' _her_ '? When do we make our move?"

"Soon," Walker replied as he turned back to the table and eyed the pale green test tube. "I'd say that a little... 'test' is in order. If my calculations are correct... it will be _very_ soon now."

* * *

Nora yawned and stretched her limbs as a quiet beeping stirred her from her slumber. She reached her arm out and fumbled in the dark for a bit, before finding her Pip-Boy and turning the display on. The dim green light partially lit up the room, and she squinted to read the time: 4:30am.

She grunted and turned the alarm off, having forgotten that she'd set it the night before. She didn't move for a brief period, trying to will her mind fully awake, then rolled over and smiled softly at the large man lying in bed beside her. She hated to wake him... he looked so peaceful. Peace - something she knew Arthur Maxson was not accustomed to. She sighed and leaned forward, placing a tender kiss on his forehead.

"Arthur," she whispered. "I should get going." As she made to roll out of the bed, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and she found herself pulled back against Arthur's bare chest, his holotags warm against her back.

"Stay..." he mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed. "Your Elder commands it."

She snorted and shook her head.

"I have to head back to my cot. I think the other soldiers around me are beginning to wonder why I spend so much time out of my bed when I'm stationed aboard the Prydwen. People will start talking."

"Then I'll... have 'em thrown overboard," he muttered.

Nora giggled and shook her head again, suspecting that Arthur was still half asleep and not completely aware of what he was saying. She placed another kiss against his scarred cheek, then gently pulled away from him once more.

"I have that big mission today, remember?" she asked. She grabbed her uniform from the floor and began pulling it up over her legs. "The Glowing Sea? Dr. Virgil? I can probably get in a couple more hours of sleep in my _own_ bed before I'm supposed to be up with the others."

The mention of the Glowing Sea caused Arthur's eyes to snap wide open.

"...What time is it?" he asked, sounding much more lucid than before as he started sitting up in bed. Nora's hand on his chest stopped him.

"4:30," she replied, gently pushing him back down. "Too early, even for _you_. Sleep. You need your rest... God knows you may not get it later."

Arthur sighed and rubbed his eyes. Watching Nora pull the flight suit over her shoulders, he frowned. He hoped that spending the night together wouldn't compromise the mission today. He needed her mind to be clear, fully focused on the mission ahead. If anything happened due to his actions, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Thank you again... for last night," he murmured quietly. Nora zipped up her suit and turned to him, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Hmm. ...Never been thanked for _that_ before," she quipped. Arthur rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the slight smirk that crossed his face.

"I mean it," he insisted. "Everything that happened yesterday - it was a lot to take in, and I regret that I didn't handle it... quite as well as I _should_ have. ...I'm sorry. But thank you for being there for me anyway. I'm... very grateful that you were here."

Nora's expression faded and she stared at him for a few seconds before walking back to the bed and sitting beside him. She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"Of course I'd be here for you, Arthur... I love you," she reminded him. She caressed his cheek and smiled once more. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be than by your side... well, when I can be, anyway."

It made her happy to see the warm smile that appeared on his face, eager to help relieve his many burdens whenever she could. Unfortunately...

"I _should_ get going, though," she murmured with reluctance. He frowned again but nodded, trying to suppress a yawn. She placed one last kiss on his forehead. "Sleep," she ordered. "...Your Knight commands you."

He chuckled softly and closed his eyes. "...Could have you written up for insubordination," he mumbled, sleep starting to overtake him again. The corner of his mouth twitched as he heard her quiet laugh.

"Yeah, okay..." she retorted. "I bet you secretly love me ordering you around." She made it to his door and turned her head back towards him for one last glance, smiling when she saw that he was already fast asleep.

* * *

"So... ready for radiation, radscorpions, and other 'Glowing Sea fun'?" Nora asked the suit of power armor standing beside her on the vertibird deck. She heard Alexa chuckle from within the helmet.

"Better than being on the run and hiding your face wherever you go," Alexa replied. "I mean, technically I'm _still_ hiding my face - for now - but... at least I'm not alone."

Nora patted the suit's shoulder reassuringly, her metal hand banging against it. "If I have _my_ way... that'll never be a problem for you again."

Alexa paused, then nodded her helmeted head. "...Thank you, Nora."

Nora could hear the sincerity in her voice and smiled, but her smile faded when she spotted a helmet-less Danse out of the corner of her eye. He was walking towards them (well... clanking, more like - his armored feet loud against the metal deck), and didn't look much better than when he'd left them the previous day. She sighed and carefully rubbed an armored hand against her bare head. Something told her this was going to be a long day.

He slowed his pace as he approached, giving the quickest of glances to Alexa in her suit before making eye contact with Nora and giving her a curt nod. Nora nodded back, hoping things weren't going to be this awkward the entire mission. She cleared her throat and smiled, hoping to break the tension a little before Arthur arrived to see them off.

"So... missed you at breakfast, Danse. Hope you ate something before you got here, because I couldn't really pack extra Fancy Lads with me."

He merely grunted in reply, and Nora had to stop herself from rolling her eyes or sighing again. She was trying to think up something else to say when Danse's head turned towards her slightly.

"...I hope you're more adequately prepared for the excessive radiation this time, soldier," he murmured sternly. "...Considering you could have gotten us _both_ killed the last time."

A flash of anger momentarily raced through Nora, and she almost reminded him that her armor had been damaged after she'd saved _his_ life. However, she remembered Brooks telling her how worried Danse had been about her afterwards while she'd been unconscious in the infirmary... how he hadn't left her bedside the entire time.

 _'Fine, Paladin... you get_ _one_ _of those,'_ she thought. She nodded and looked over at him.

"Cade made sure I packed extra supplies with me, just in case," she replied politely. She paused, then added, "...Hopefully we won't run into any deathclaws _this_ time."

 _'...You just couldn't resist...'_ her brain chastised her. Danse seemed to sense the hidden message in her words and narrowed his eyes, but kept silent.

Luckily, Arthur chose that moment to exit the Prydwen and make his way towards them, his boots thudding on the metal beneath him with every step. Lancer-Knight Harris followed close behind him, smiling when he saw Danse and Nora.

"What, no 'wonder dog' with you this time?" he called out, a cheeky grin on his face.

Nora heard Alexa snicker and shook her head, smiling. "Not today," she replied. "He's under the care of Squire Williams, for now."

She'd left him overnight with a couple of the other dogs in the science bay kennel, and Dogmeat had stared at her with as much annoyance as a dog possibly could. "I'm sorry... it's _just_ for tonight," she'd promised him quietly. "Arthur has a lot on his mind. He needs me tonight."

Dogmeat had huffed in a sulking manner, but gladly took the dried radstag she offered him. When she'd brought him to Jake this morning, it seemed all was forgiven. Jake had done his best to look professional - but when Dogmeat barked and licked his face eagerly, he laughed and threw his arms around the shepherd's neck.

Paladin Williams shook his head and grinned at Nora. "Although I would do it again in a heartbeat if needed, I hope another rescue team won't be necessary for you and Danse," he'd joked while Jake was distracted. " _Try_ and stay stay out of trouble this time, won't you? ...Unless you'd _like_ another chance for the Elder to literally sweep you away in his arms again... but I think there are easier ways to get him to do so."

Nora's face had turned a few different shades of pink as he'd winked at her. She'd groaned and rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?" she asked him.

Williams had pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head again. "Naah," he'd replied, then burst out laughing as she'd given his shoulder a light, playful shove.

Back in the present, Lancer-Knight Harris had climbed into the vertibird and was preparing for take-off as Arthur addressed the three soldiers firmly.

"You'll be dropped off at Waypoint Echo, the same post as when you two had your first mission to the Glowing Sea," he said with a nod to Danse and Nora. "Since you're aware of the exact location of Virgil's cave, ideally things will be a lot more... 'uneventful' this time."

Alexa raised an eyebrow underneath her helmet. People kept making little references like this to the previous mission... it made her wonder what exactly had happened that people seemed so wary about. Obviously something involving a deathclaw and the Glowing Sea's excessive radiation, but...

Her attention refocused when Arthur turned to face her. When he spoke, his voice was more gentle.

"As I said earlier - I'm trusting you with two of my best soldiers. Do whatever you need to in order to keep them both safe. If you perform this task well... I'll take care of the other 'details' we discussed."

"Yes sir," she replied with a nod and a salute. "I'll guard them with my life."

Satisfied, Arthur returned her salute before turning back to Danse and Nora. He stared between the two of them for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.

"The Brotherhood's ability to put an end to the Institute depends on the success of this mission," he said. "I don't have to tell either of you how important those schematics are. ...Be careful," he added softly.

Danse and Nora nodded and saluted him as well, which he returned before glancing at Lancer-Knight Harris inside the vertibird. Harris nodded back and started the vehicle up.

"Ready when you are!" he called out over the growing roar of the propeller blades.

Alexa climbed in first, followed by Danse. Nora allowed herself one last peek at Arthur's stoic stare as he backed up from the vertibird. She managed to give him a small smile and another nod before she climbed up herself.

As the vertibird detached from the Prydwen and rose up into the air, Arthur let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Ad victoriam," he murmured quietly.

* * *

Luck seemed to be on the trio's side today. The vertibird dropped them off at Waypoint Echo and they set off for Virgil's cave with almost no incidents happening - other than dispatching the occasional radroach or feral ghoul, that is.

Alexa proved to be just as skilled as Danse in combat, to Nora's slight surprise. She knew that Alexa was a Paladin in the Brotherhood years ago, but was also aware that she'd grown up and spent a good portion of her life in a vault, too.

 _'You vault dwellers...'_ a cloudy-eyed Mama Murphy had said to her, the first time Danse visited Sanctuary with her. She couldn't help wondering if he had taught Alexa a thing or two, like he had with Nora. The two obviously had a past of _some_ kind, and if they'd been close enough that Alexa knew and addressed him by his _first_ name...

"It looks like a radstorm might be approaching," Danse's voice crackled from his helmet, interrupting her thoughts. She blinked and turned her head to see what he was looking at, and saw thick green clouds heading their way.

"Can we take shelter in there?" Alexa pointed at a structure not far into the distance.

Danse turned to look, then nodded. "It might be wise - at least until the storm blows through. We can rest a bit and search the building for supplies as well. Just be careful - places like that can also contain ferals, or even glowing ones."

Nora and Alexa nodded, following behind Danse as he took point towards the building. As they got closer to it, a lopsided sign on the second storey slowly became more visible: _Atlantic Offices_. It wasn't a name that Nora recognized... but then again, it seemed like there wasn't much she recognized _anywhere_ any more.

They entered the building through an opening in the wall and took out a feral ghoul that was rising to attack them. After they quickly surveyed their surroundings, Nora raised an eyebrow at a steel door to her right and pushed it open curiously. There was a long, narrow office with a couple of desks inside. She turned to Danse and Alexa.

"This seems like a good area to wait out the storm. The door appears to be pretty thick, and we might be able to recuperate without being disturbed by any other creatures here."

Danse came up behind her and peered into the room, then nodded. "Good thinking. We'll rest here for a while, then reassess the weather conditions later."

He and Alexa followed Nora through the doorway and pushed the desks against the side of the room. It was a bit difficult and awkward pivoting around each other - the large suits of power armor left little wiggle room between them - but finally the three turned to face each other after shutting the door again.

"Hmm... seems as if the radiation isn't as bad in this room with the door shut," Alexa remarked. "We could probably exit our suits for a little while, catch up on our med doses just in case."

Without waiting for a response from Danse, Nora was the first one to pop open her armor with a metallic _hiss_. She was definitely eager to exit the metal behemoth - ever since her injury during their first trip to the Glowing Sea, she noticed that being in her suit made her feel a little anxious and claustrophobic. She knew it was necessary for the mission, but she certainly wasn't going to waste an opportunity to be free of it, if only for a few minutes.

She ignored what sounded like a disapproving grunt from Danse's suit and sighed gratefully as she pressed back against a wall, sliding down into a sitting position. Alexa soon exited after her, pulling a medicine bottle from a small pack inside her suit and tossing it to Nora.

"You first, 'Vaultie'," Alexa teased. "You probably need this more than Michael or I."

Nora caught it mid-air and smiled at the Rad-X bottle before taking a couple pills out and tossing it back to her. She raised an eyebrow when she realized that Danse was still inside his power armor. "...You comin' out, Danse?" she asked him curiously.

She definitely heard him grunt inside his helmet this time.

" _One_ of us should remain in armor... you never know what could happen," he replied in a firm tone. "The Glowing Sea isn't a place to let your guard down - especially based on prior experience." His helmet seemed to stare right through Nora, earning him a mild scowl back from her.

"Maybe... but it would also be unwise, maybe even _irresponsible_ to neglect your Rad-X dose, just in case we get stuck here for a while," she retorted.

There was a long pause in the room, and she didn't have to imagine his face for long as he slowly reached up and removed his helmet. She had to stop herself from wincing at his stony expression, feeling almost as uncomfortable as Alexa suddenly looked. She'd seen that look a couple times before - and one of those times was when he and Arthur had caught her trying to sneak off the Prydwen. She hated Danse being mad, or even _annoyed_ at her, but she wasn't about to take his attitude lying down, either - superior officer or not.

He snatched the bottle of Rad-X from Alexa, downed a couple pills, shoved the bottle back at her, then practically slammed his helmet back onto his head. He stepped forward so that he was towering over Nora, and pointed at her with an armored finger.

" _Don't_ ," he spat at her dangerously. "Just... just _don't_."

He stepped back again, stood rigidly in place for a moment, then turned and faced the door. "I'm going to scout the area for any available supplies. Stay here until I return," he barked. Without waiting for another word from the two women, he pushed the door open, strode out, and shut it behind him.

There was a surprised silence in the room for a few seconds, then Nora stood up again with eyes narrowed and climbed back into her suit.

"Nora..." Alexa said softly, "maybe-"

"No," Nora interrupted quickly as her armor shut. "Nonononono, uh-uh. That was not okay." She turned to face Alexa. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Alexa sighed but nodded, knowing there was no changing Nora's mind.

* * *

Danse grunted as he blasted another feral ghoul in the skull with his laser rifle. _'Disgusting abomination,'_ he thought angrily as it crumpled to the floor. _'...What a waste._ _This_ _is what we get for 'scientific progress': real-life monsters, because mankind didn't show restraint or common sense. Such a terrible, senseless waste. And the worst part is, we_ _still_ _haven't learned anything - people are_ _still_ _trying to 'push the envelope'... or use and abuse other innocents for their own selfish purposes. People like...'_

He holstered his rifle once more and ground his teeth together under his helmet, his hands balling up into fists at his sides.

 _'...Callahan,'_ he thought, pure contempt flowing through his veins. _'He was supposed to be a guiding hand for the Brotherhood. A symbol of strength, of leadership, of... hope. Instead, he manipulated it. Used his brothers and sisters in steel, toyed with them like puppets on strings...'_

His body went rigid, and he felt himself beginning to shake with rage.

 _'Sarah... Cutler... their deaths were_ _his_ _fault. Maybe not_ _directly_ _, but... how many others were there that either didn't matter to him, or simply got in his way? How many?'_

He felt his chest tighten as a face entered his mind, followed by memories of his past... _their_ past: their first few missions together... being impressed with her skills in battle... Cutler teasing him about his face reddening whenever she entered a room (which he'd vehemently denied - the air in the Citadel just got stuffy at times, that was all)... watching her bond with a young Arthur Maxson... confessing to her about finding Cutler, what he'd had to do, and her holding him tightly as they'd comforted each other - that had been the first time she'd... they'd...

 _'...Alexa...'_

...She'd made him feel like no one ever had before. Been there for him when he felt like he had no one else. And Callahan... he'd taken that away from him. ...Taken _her_ away from him. Forced her away from the things, the life... the _people_ she loved…

Without thinking, Danse raised an armored fist and slammed it hard into the nearest wall.

That bastard... he'd taken so much. Interfered in so many lives. And he was _still_ a part of the Brotherhood, on the council of Elders. He didn't belong amongst them. Didn't _deserve_ it.

He threw a second punch, the drywall cracking and crumbling from the force of the blow.

And now Alexa was back, and he didn't know _what_ the hell to do about it. So many conflicting feelings and emotions... so many things he wanted to say, but didn't even know where to begin...

He heard footsteps behind him, whirled around, and instinctively lashed out with another punch - narrowly missing Nora's helmet by just a couple inches as she dodged out of the way.

"Whoa whoa whoa, it's just me!" she exclaimed, her hands raised in front of her defensively.

Danse froze in shock for a moment before his senses came back to him. He narrowed his eyes, a low growl escaping his throat. "I thought I ordered you to stay put!" he snapped.

"Yes, and I chose to _disregard_ that order," she countered. "And at the risk of being almost hit again, may I re-remind you that the reason _why_ I got so injured during our last visit to the Glowing Sea was because I was saving _you_ from that deathclaw. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, that's not the point - but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop acting like I got hurt because I did something incompetent or stupid."

"You wouldn't call jumping on a deathclaw and stabbing it in the eye stupid?" he shot back. "It was _amazingly_ reckless, and-"

"And had the situation been reversed, you would have done the _exact_ same thing to save _me_ , if you had to. We've had this argument _before_ \- so why don't you stop pretending that my 'stupidity' is the problem and talk to me about what's _really_ going on!"

Danse bristled and shook his head. "I don't have to listen to this," he grumbled as he pushed past her. "I don't have to answer to you. You forget your place, Taylor. _I'm_ still in charge, and you're overstepping your boundaries!"

Nora hissed and grabbed him by the arm, her temper flaring. "No!" she shouted, and shoved him into a nearby room - which took quite a bit of effort, considering how strong he was. Luckily she caught him off-guard, and he stumbled backwards while she slammed the door behind her. "Don't you dare pull that rank crap with me!"

She pulled her helmet off and stared daggers at him. "I'm not just some random Brotherhood peon of yours... this is _me_ we're talking about! Nora! We've been through too much together to pretend we don't care about each other. I know the last couple days have been rough for you... _dammit_ Danse, just _talk_ to me!"

"And say _WHAT_?" The radiation forgotten, he tore off his helmet and glared back at her, his eyes blazing with fury. "That I don't know what to do or how to handle this? That things I _thought_ I knew are completely wrong, and now I have to pretend like nothing ever happened? ...I shut her out Nora, I pushed her away - and regardless of whether she did the right thing or not all those years ago, she left because of _me_. To protect _ME_. It's _MY_ fault!" He spun away from her and faced the wall, unable to look at her further. He took a deep breath and slumped his shoulders as he exhaled, suddenly feeling broken.

"...Like _Cutler_ was my fault," he murmured sadly. "...Maybe even Sarah, too."

There was a heavy silence in the air, then footsteps behind him. Nora's armored hand appeared on his shoulder.

"...What in the _world_ are you talking about?" she asked, her voice soft now. " _Nothing_ that happened in the past was your 'fault'. You did what you had to for Cutler. I didn't know him, but I doubt he'd have wanted to live like that."

"No, you _didn't_ know him," Danse snapped. "And he might not have _had_ to live like that if maybe-"

Nora shook her head and held up a hand to stop him. "Virgil's serum wasn't a possibility back then, and we _still_ don't know if it'll even work. And even if it does, it could take several more _years_ before something even _remotely_ usable is available for mass production. There was absolutely _nothing else_ you could have done for him, so you really only had two options: let Cutler harm or kill innocent people as an uncontrollable super mutant, or put him down humanely. You did your duty as a Brotherhood soldier - _and_ as a friend." She moved to stand in front of him, Danse still avoiding her eyes.

"As for _Alexa_ ," she continued gently, "I'm sure she understands. She obviously cared about you - _and_ Arthur - very much to have left everything behind like she did. Sarah's death wasn't your fault, any more than it was _hers_. Callahan may not have killed Sarah with his own two hands, but he's still responsible if Alexa blatantly warned him about the dangers of that mission and he ignored it."

Danse shook his head. "...You don't understand..." He took another deep breath and raised his head, still avoiding her gaze. There was a faraway look in his eyes, making him look somewhat haunted.

"Alexa had told me back then that she felt like Callahan had it out for her, that she didn't really trust him. I told her she was mistaken, that he was part of the Brotherhood and wouldn't harm her. I reminded her that some members of the Brotherhood may have seen her as... 'unconventional', but that she had the former _and_ the current Elder Lyons's trust, as well as the trust of many others, and should rest easy."

"...She came to me before her last mission with Sarah, told me she was worried about it - it seemed needlessly unsafe, there wasn't much to gain, and there were too few soldiers going. She said that Sarah wouldn't listen to her since Callahan was 'so sure' that she was wrong. I assured her that even if she and Callahan didn't get along, he and Sarah _both_ knew what they were doing and that the squad would be fine."

Danse took a deep breath and paused for a moment before continuing. "Afterwards, even despite Sarah's death... I _still_ refused to believe her doubts. I... didn't _want_ to. We argued about it, and I stormed away from her. It... was the last I ever saw of her. ...Until _now_ , that is."

Nora stared at him as he reminisced, glad that he was getting all of this out but sympathetic for what he'd been through. "Danse..." she murmured sadly, at a loss for words.

He squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head. "When she vanished all those years ago... people in the Brotherhood didn't know what to think. _I_ didn't know what to think. She'd been a loyal Paladin, so as more time went on with no word from her... they began to assume that the worst had happened. Callahan wouldn't allow anyone to go looking for her. I didn't want to believe that she was... but..."

"I was angry... unsure... so conflicted. I didn't know what to do, so... I just forced myself to carry on, like I always had in the worst of times. The Brotherhood was all I knew, all I had left."

Another heavy silence fell between the two, much longer this time. It felt like several minutes passed before Nora spoke again.

"Danse... go talk to her. You _have_ to."

He shook his head, finally meeting her eyes. "I... I can't. I don't even know how to act around her, let alone what to _say_ ," he mumbled.

Her chest tightened at his pained expression. "You've been given a second chance, Danse... something that some people never get to have - don't waste it. Just... say whatever comes to you. She'll listen, I _know_ she will. She wouldn't have come back with me if she wanted nothing to do with the Brotherhood anymore... with Arthur... with _you_."

She pushed his shoulders to turn him around towards the door. "It's kind of like when you and I fought during our first visit to Goodneighbor. Just... tell her what's in your head - only... maybe a little less straightforward than your usual, because you're not always great at that."

Danse rolled his eyes, but she was pleased to see the corner of his mouth pull upwards slightly.

"On second thought-" She gently placed a hand over his heart. "Speak from _here_. I know it's not easy - but when you open yourself up to people, they can surprise you sometimes. If nothing else, maybe you'll feel better for getting some things off your chest."

He opened his mouth silently for a moment, then shut it again. Her recent words echoed in his head: _"She wouldn't have come... if she wanted nothing to do with the Brotherhood anymore... with you."_

And yet... he was afraid. And felt foolish for feeling afraid. He'd faced countless dangers in his life, and here he was afraid to talk to a woman. _'But... she's not just_ _any_ _woman..._ _is_ _she?'_ a voice in his head asked. He turned his head to look at Nora again, and she read the question in his eyes.

"Go," she said with a nod of her head. "I'll finish scouting for supplies. I'll be fine - I won't put myself into any unnecessary danger, and I won't do anything 'stupid' - I promise." She gave him a reassuring smile.

He turned back towards the door and sighed as he put his helmet back on, trying to muster up his courage.

 _'Well... here goes nothing.'_

* * *

Once Nora had left, Alexa settled against the nearest wall and decided to pass the time by playing 'Red Menace' on her Pip-Boy. The graphics probably weren't as good as they were on the Mark IV model like the one Nora had - but nevertheless, it wasn't a bad distraction.

She failed to beat any of her previous high scores when the game finished, so she sat in silence for a while. Reaching into her pack, she fished around for a moment before she found the object she was looking for. She pulled it out and stared at it - a very old holotape with a faded, handwritten label.

She knew the penmanship well, could recognize his formal-looking script anywhere. 'Better Days', the label read. She popped the game holotape out of her Pip-Boy and replaced it with the older tape, then pushed 'play'. A female voice filled the quiet room.

 _"...that batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the secondary filtration system. We're going to re-calibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow, so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time. ...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to- James! Stop! I need to finish these notes. We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners. That should... ow! James! ...Now? We really shouldn't... ha ha ha ha ha!"_

She smiled as the tape clicked off, but the feeling was bittersweet. She wondered what her parents would think of her now. Would they be proud? ...Disappointed? She may not have known her mother, but she still thought of her father often - and missed him every time she did.

Without thinking, she pulled another holotape from her pack - more recent than the last one and labeled, 'Goodbye'. She ejected her mother's holotape and inserted the other one. A male voice began to speak.

 _"Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first. ...I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you_ _not_ _to know. So many things could have gone wrong, and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me."_

 _"Obviously, you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday, things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left, or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the Vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going._... _Goodbye. I love you."_

The irony wasn't lost on her - she and her father both escaping from their 'home', reluctantly leaving behind loved ones for their own protection, often looking over one shoulder to try and keep a low profile but unable to resist 'being the hero'... the parallels were truly uncanny.

It reminded her of a song she'd once heard, from a story long forgotten:

 _We disappoint, we disappear, we 'die', but we don't._  
 _They disappoint in turn, I fear - forgive, though, they won't._

 _Running away, go to it. Where did you have in mind?_  
 _Have to take care - unless there's a 'where', you'll only be wandering blind._  
 _Just more questions... different kind._  
 _Where are we to go? Where are we ever to go?_  
 _Running away, we'll do it. Why sit around, resigned?_  
 _Trouble is, son, the farther you run, the more you'll feel undefined... for what you have left undone, and more - what you've left behind._

 _We disappoint, we leave a mess, we 'die', but we don't.  
We disappoint in turn, I guess. Forget, though, we won't.._.

As the tape clicked off and she pressed 'play' again, her father's words reminded her of things she wished she could have told Michael all those years ago.

 _I don't really know how to tell you this... I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry... in the end I decided it was best for you_ _not_ _to know... so many things could have gone wrong... it's best if (the Elder) can blame everything on me... it was something I needed to do... maybe someday, things will change and we can see each other again... I can't tell you why I left, or where I'm going... I don't want you to follow me... God knows life in the (Brotherhood) isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe... just knowing that will be enough to keep me going_...

 _Goodbye... I love you..._

The tape clicked off again, and it was several moments before Alexa even noticed the silence or the single tear running down her cheek. She replayed the tape unconsciously, letting her father's voice distract her thoughts once more.

* * *

Danse's anxiety peaked as he approached the door. He knew what he had to do, but that didn't make actually _doing_ it any easier. As he reached forward to open it, he heard a male voice and froze. ...Who else would be here? And... why did that voice sound familiar?

He pushed open the door and looked around the room, confused for a second, then did a double-take when he spotted Alexa sitting against the wall. He realized the male voice was coming from her Pip-Boy and quickly shut the door behind him. Alexa must have been deep in thought because she didn't acknowledge his entrance right away, just continued staring off into space.

 _"Maybe someday, things will change and we can see each other again,"_ the holotape continued. _"I can't tell you why I left, or where I'm going..."_

Danse's heart began to sink as he realized what she was listening to. He may not have met Alexa's famous father, but... he _had_ heard this recording before. Alexa had played it for him years ago. He took his helmet off and frowned, momentarily distracted from why he'd come back in the first place.

 _"_... _Goodbye. I love you."_

A sniffle snapped his attention back to Alexa, and his heart sank further when he saw a few tears running down her cheeks. She began to wipe them away and cleared her throat.

"Sorry Nora... I just-"

She turned her head and visibly stiffened when she saw Danse, her eyes widening in surprise. She gasped softly and whipped her head back in the opposite direction, rubbing furiously at her cheeks. "Michael! I... I'm sorry. I-I didn't know..." She sniffled again and shook her head.

"I thought you were... I... I didn't want you to... see me this way," she stammered feebly. She brought her knees up to her chest and turned fully away from him, her face burning in embarrassment. She suddenly wished the floor would just swallow her up whole.

Danse stared at her crouched form for a few seconds, then exited his power armor and took a deep breath. He walked forward and gingerly sat down on the floor next to her. They avoided each other's gaze and neither spoke right away, secretly hoping the other would be the first to break the awkward silence. While Danse fought the growing lump in his throat, Alexa finally caved in.

"I... I'm sorry," she repeated timidly. "I didn't mean to have you _or_ Nora see me like this. I just..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling defeated. Her chin came to rest on top of her knees. "...I miss him," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper now. "Sometimes... I worry I'll forget what his voice sounds like."

Danse said nothing for a few seconds. Curiosity finally got the better of him, and he hesitantly peeked over at her. Her eyes were still closed, and another tear threatened to escape from her lashes. He resisted an urge to reach over and wipe it away. Sitting this closely next to her in the already cramped room was making him flustered, a feeling he was unsure he liked. He longed for the security of his power armor - being out of it made him feel a lot more vulnerable, unsure of himself... weak. He took another deep breath, struggling to find the right words to say.

"...You don't need to apologize," he finally responded quietly. "If anything... I owe _you_ an apology."

Her eyes flew open and she lifted her head to stare at him, eyebrows raised. "Me?" she echoed. "Why? Because... you were a little gruff before?" She wiped the last of her tears away, trying to do so nonchalantly, and gave a slight chuckle. "...I'm kind of used to that, remember?"

The corner of his mouth began to turn upwards, but then he frowned once more and shook his head. "No... not that. I mean - yes, for that, but... not _just_ that. For... long ago. Before... you left." He inhaled deeply, trying to remain composed while getting his thoughts in order. As difficult as it was, he fought to maintain eye contact with her.

"When you came to me that last time before you left the Brotherhood, I didn't... I didn't want to believe those things about Callahan. It's not that I thought you were lying, or making things up... but I didn't want to think that anyone in the Brotherhood could be like that. Could be... responsible in any way for such things. Even after Sarah... I just couldn't accept it."

"After we fought, and then you didn't come back... at first I... I kept telling myself that you were fine, just taking some extra time to... I don't know, clear your head, think things over. Maybe realize that I'd been right all along, and that all your doubts and fears about Callahan were just in your head. But then more time passed, and you didn't return. No one heard anything from you. It was like you just disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"People began to assume that the worst might have happened. After all, you were a Paladin, and one that many soldiers trusted. I started getting really worried - even if your feelings were hurt or you were angry, I didn't believe that you would just leave everything and every _one_ behind so completely..."

He finally broke eye contact, unable to hold her gaze any more. Instead, he chose to focus on one particular spot on the floor in front of him. "...Especially _me_ ," he added, his voice nearly a whisper. "Not after... everything we'd been through."

Alexa's chest tightened, and she didn't even think twice about reaching forward and taking his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"...Michael..."

Danse shook his head slightly. "No, please... I need to get this all out." He saw Alexa nod out of the corner of his eye and took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to believe the other soldiers, to accept that you were... that you'd been..." He swallowed a growing lump in his throat and paused for a few seconds before continuing on.

"I tried to get Callahan to let me organize a team to go out and search for you, like I had with Cutler - but he wouldn't allow it. Said the Brotherhood 'couldn't spare the resources or manpower'. I felt angry and hopeless. I wouldn't have wanted you to leave at _all_ , but... I definitely hadn't wanted you to leave the way that you _did_. I hated the way things were left between us, and there wasn't anything I could do about it."

"After a while, I had no choice but to move forward. I convinced myself that if you _were_ still... alive... that you just didn't want anything to do with the Brotherhood anymore. ...With _me_. ...In hindsight, I think it was easier for me to accept _that_ as truth, rather than the alternative. I put the past behind me and forced myself to move on."

He paused for a few seconds, his words hanging heavy in the air. "...I know the reality of the situation _now_ ," he added. "I'm... sorry I was so harsh on you when I saw you again. I'm sorry for... a lot of things. Maybe if I hadn't been so bull-headed, so stubborn-"

"Michael," Alexa interrupted. After releasing his hand, she reached up and gently turned his face towards hers. "...I understand," she said softly. "You don't need to apologize."

Danse's face began to flush at the contact. "I do-"

"No, you _don't_ ," she insisted. "You didn't know... _couldn't_ have known about Callahan, even if I _did_ voice my suspicions to you. I may not have liked it at the time - but I understand why you felt the way you felt, and did what you did. Who would _want_ to believe the Elder of the Brotherhood, a former respected Paladin, could be capable of manipulating his fellow soldiers like that? Even now, I still don't know what his _exact_ role was - just that it was likely that he was more than responsible for various 'misfortunes'."

She realized her palm was still touching his cheek, and she began to blush also as she slowly lowered it. Clearing her throat, she went on.

"After Callahan had threatened me, I wanted to go right to you about it - but I didn't know if you would even listen. I don't blame you," she quickly added as Danse opened his mouth to protest, "but you were still mad at me, and Callahan knew you and I were... 'close'. Like I said before - after Richard and Sarah, I was _damned_ if I was going to risk something happening to _you_. Callahan made it crystal clear my presence wasn't wanted in the Brotherhood anymore, so I did what I felt would be best for you."

"...Alexa..." Danse stared at her for a few seconds, then slowly reached forward and gently placed a hand over one of hers. "I don't quite know how, or when... but somehow, I _will_ make all of this right again. I promise."

Her eyes slid closed as she let out a weary sigh and shook her head. "...We _both_ made mistakes," she murmured. "But... it's all in the past. I don't want to dwell on it anymore." Her eyes opened to meet his. "I just want to move forward. Callahan has quite a bit to answer for, and the Institute still needs to be stopped." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, feeling grateful that the two of them finally had a chance to clear the air between them. She blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"By the way... where's Nora?" She raised an eyebrow and cast him a sideways glance. "...You didn't lock her in an elevator, did you?"

Danse caught the teasing tone in her voice and rolled his eyes. "One time..." He held up a single finger in defense. " _One_ _time_ I do that to an Aspirant - who you _know_ had it coming to him - and you _still_ can't let me forget about it!"

When his face took on an almost childish pout, Alexa couldn't hold back her laughter, despite her best effort. After a moment, Danse's mouth quirked upwards, and soon he too couldn't resist chuckling and shaking his head. They both started as a soft knock suddenly came from the door, before a power armor helmet peeked into the room.

"I hear laughter... that's good, right?" Nora's altered voice asked. She entered the room fully and removed her helmet after shutting the door behind her. "...Unless there's a radiation leak in here, and you both went loopy." She peered down at them and raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for something odd to happen.

Alexa snorted and stood up, stretching her back as she did so. "Not any more than _usual_ ," she joked.

"Good," Nora replied, "because it looks like the radstorm didn't last long. It's clearing up outside - well... as clear as it _can_ be. We might want to push on to Virgil's cave - the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can head back."

"Pfft... now you sound like _him_ ," Alexa quipped, gesturing her head back towards a rising Danse. Both women laughed as Danse raised his eyebrows.

"You say that like it's a _bad_ thing," he retorted, climbing back into his armor. "But Nora's right - the less time spent in this desolate, dangerous place, the better."

Alexa handed a bottle of water to Nora. "Better drink up, who knows when we'll have another chance again."

Nora nodded as she unscrewed the cap. "Anything else before we head out?"

Alexa paused for a moment, then a smile slowly began forming on her face. "Yeah," she replied, watching Nora carefully as she took a sip of water. "So... what's the story between you and Arthur Maxson?"

Nora coughed mid-sip and sputtered for a moment, clearly caught off-guard.

 _'Hmm... that's what I thought,'_ Alexa pondered with a smug grin.

Nora gaped at her for a second, trying to figure out how to handle the question, then grinned slyly. "Well... what's up with you and Danse?"

Alexa raised her eyebrows as she took the bottle back from Nora and peered at Danse out of the corner of her eye. He coughed and fastened his helmet faster than Alexa could ever recall, but she didn't miss the pink flush that began emerging on his cheeks again.

"This is hardly the time to engage in personal conversation," he grumbled quickly through his helmet's filter. "We have a mission to complete. Let's move out, soldiers. ... _Now_."

Nora and Alexa both snickered and reached for their helmets, but not before exchanging a brief look between them - one that clearly said, ' _we'll talk later_ '.

* * *

END NOTES:

\- The Atlantic Offices are an actual, in-game location in the Glowing Sea. Anyone who's been there might notice that I took a few liberties with the 'geography' of the building - but I figured you guys wouldn't mind too much. I try to be as accurate to the game as I can, but sometimes it's just easier to 'tweak' a thing or two to help move the story along. In hindsight, the building itself really didn't matter to the story as much as the characters inside it.

\- Yes, the FO3 Pip-Boys didn't have the mini-game feature - that was something new for FO4. However, when you think about it, the Pip-Boys were ALL designed before the war for vault dwellers, and while there are different models of the device (depending on which Fallout you're playing), it's a tiny head-cannon of mine that Alexa's model could play a lesser version of a holotape mini-game... kind of like an Atari vs. an NES version of a game, lol.

\- The song lyrics Alexa thinks of are actually from the musical 'Into the Woods'. The name of the song is 'No More', and what's listed in this chapter is just a small section of the song. It happens at a point in the musical in which one of the main characters is feeling totally lost/depressed/fed up/unsure of what to do next, and it made me think of the parallels between Alexa and her father James (FO3 references!). It's a sad song, but also really good - I totally recommend looking it up and giving it a listen if you get a chance!


	31. Ch 31 - Return to the Glowing Sea, Pt 2

Once again, many, _many_ thanks go out to my awesome beta reader, 'ScorpioSkies'! I'd be so lost without her!

* * *

LAST CHAPTER:  
Two scientists (Dr. Walker & Dr. Hines - a pre-war ghoul) briefly discussed plans for the future while a synth in their care (S9-43) seemed uncertain of his role with them.

Danse, Nora, & Alexa went to the Glowing Sea. During a brief radstorm, they took shelter in an office building. Danse's frustration and guilty feelings about the past emerged, and with Nora's encouragement he finally opened up to Alexa about it.

* * *

"So... Virgil's been hiding out in there, huh?" Alexa asked as the trio approached the cave's entrance. "Not a bad hiding spot, really. No one in their right mind would come out here unless they absolutely _had_ to."

Nora nodded as they headed into the cave. "That was his idea... except in his panic to escape the Institute, he forgot to account for his continuing transformation into a super mutant. It allowed him to survive the radiation out here and sustained his life, sure - but his mental state is declining, and time is a factor before he might forget himself completely. He's relying on us - on _me_ \- to get into the Institute and find his serum as soon as possible."

She heard a small ' _hmph'_ behind her and rolled her eyes, grateful that Danse couldn't see her expression. She understood his reservations about the Institute scientist - but she'd made a promise to Virgil, and she fully intended to keep it.

They passed the deactivated turrets in the tunnel and reached the main cavern. Nora spotted Virgil standing at his computer terminal, a frown upon his large face as he squinted behind his makeshift spectacles at the screen. He was attempting to type on the keyboard, but his bulbous green fingertips seemed to have some trouble hitting one key at a time. He grunted and flexed his fingers, as if that would aid him in some way.

Nora removed her helmet and took a deep breath, glad to feel air upon her bare cheeks again. Alexa and Danse soon followed suit as Nora gently cleared her throat to get Virgil's attention.

He looked up and did a double-take at her and the others, his brow raising in surprise. "Huh...wasn't sure I'd actually see you again," his deep voice croaked. "You managed to get what you need?"

"Yup, I have the code," she confirmed with a nod.

Virgil let out a huff that sounded a bit like a chuckle. "Suppose I shouldn't be surprised... you _did_ get rid of Kellogg, after all. Not too much of a leap to take down a Courser. How'd you manage to get it decoded?"

"The Railroad helped me," she replied.

He grunted and rolled his eyes. "Oh God... _those_ kooks? I would've expected they'd be too busy trying to liberate vending machines, or setting computer terminals free, or..."

Nora heard Danse make a noise behind her that sounded suspiciously like a snort and turned to raise an eyebrow at him. His face instantly became stoic once more as she faced Virgil again.

"Sorry," the scientist murmured, "they just have something of a reputation." He lumbered over to a work table and picked up a large roll of paper, then walked back and handed it to Nora.

"You're not the _only_ one who's been busy," he said. "I did the best I could, from memory and things I've overheard through the years. Came up with some schematics for you. Wasn't easy," he continued, looking down at his hands with a scowl. "These hands are ridiculous. Fine motor skills have gone to shit." He looked back up at Nora and took a deep breath.

"Here's the simple explanation: you need to build a device that will hijack the signal the Institute uses to teleport Coursers, and send _you_ instead." He chuckled and shook his head. "...You know the craziest part of the design? That classical music station - _that's_ the carrier signal for the relay. All the data's on harmonic frequencies - you've been hearing it all along."

Nora's jaw dropped at hearing this, hardly noticing Danse and Alexa stepping forward to stand on either side of her.

"Son of a... this whole time..." Danse muttered, sounding as shocked as Nora felt.

"...That's ingenious," Alexa whispered with awe. Danse and Nora turned to her and she shrugged. "What?" she asked. "It _is_... who would ever think of that?"

Nora couldn't help smiling at her candor as Virgil raised a finger to speak again.

"I want to be clear that this isn't my area of expertise," he cautioned. "I was _BioScience_ , not Engineering or Advanced Systems or anything."

"BioScience?" Nora repeated, not quite understanding his meaning. "Advanced Systems?"

"Divisions within the Institute," he explained. "Specialized groups working on various projects. It'll make sense later. For the record, I haven't made any promises. But if you can build the device _and_ make use of the code, you should be able to override the signal from the Institute's relay."

He paused, looking back and forth between the three of them with interest for several seconds, before his eyes rested on Nora again. "... _Can_ you?" he asked hesitantly. "Can you build it? Your... people can help? This is a lot for one person, even _you_."

Nora gave him a soft smile. "I'm sure it'll work. I've got it covered."

"Good, good," he nodded back. "Because you've gotta make it in there - for _both_ our sakes." He pointed a large finger at her, his expression growing more serious. "And _don't_ you forget about our agreement. I've helped you the best that I can. If you make it in there, you find that serum. It's my only hope for being... normal. So you find it."

"I made a promise," she confirmed. "I fully intend to keep it." She hesitated, then stepped forward and gently placed a hand on his massive green arm.

"...Thank you," she said softly. "It's a really helpful thing that you're doing for me... for _all_ of us. I really appreciate it."

Virgil's brow raised, caught off-guard. He opened his mouth to speak when Danse's voice suddenly came from behind Nora.

"Listen to me well, ' _doctor_ '," he spoke, a threatening tone to his voice. "If I get the faintest inkling that you purposely manipulated these schematics in _any_ way to fail or hurt anyone, know that I _will_ be back to deal with you in an instant."

" _Danse_ ," Nora hissed quietly over her shoulder, at the same time as Alexa whispered, " _Michael_ ," in a reprimanding tone. Danse glared unabashed at Virgil as the scientist's eyes narrowed at the Paladin.

"As I said before-" he grumbled, "I can't _guarantee_ it will work... but I did my best. I wouldn't _purposely_ ruin my best chance at becoming human again." He huffed and turned his eyes back to Nora, who shot him an apologetic look. "Now go on, take those schematics and get to work," he said. "You do whatever it takes; call on _whoever_ you know to help you."

"I will," she nodded. "And thank you again. I'll do my very best to get you your serum."

With one last nod of his head, Virgil turned towards his terminal again as Nora turned around to face the others. She briefly scowled at Danse and held up the schematics.

"We have what we came for. Let's head out - the sooner we get back to the Prydwen, the sooner we can get started trying to build this thing."

As the three turned and started back down the tunnel to the entrance, Danse cleared his throat quietly beside Nora.

"...I just... had to make myself clear," he said quietly to her. "You've... become a very good friend of mine, Nora. I'm not about to let _anyone_ hurt you."

Nora let his words sink in for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Forgiven," she murmured back. "And... thank you. ...For caring about me that much."

"...I get the feeling that Arthur wouldn't be far behind Michael if anything _did_ happen to you," Alexa chimed in. "Maybe he'd even push him out of the way to get there _first_."

Nora saw her grin mischievously and felt her face begin to heat up. Danse couldn't help chuckling as she quickly pulled her helmet down over her face and cleared her throat. "It's not that far to Waypoint Echo," she mumbled. "If we make good time-"

"Oh no, you don't get off _that_ easily - I want dirt!" Alexa laughed, putting on her helmet as well.

Danse shook his head with a smile as he followed suit, reminded of Alexa's friendship with Sarah years ago. "Some things never change," he murmured to himself.

"What was that, Michael?" Alexa returned innocently. "I'm sure there's plenty of things about _you_ that Nora doesn't know-"

"Nothing, nothing," Danse replied quickly. "Just thinking to myself."

"Hmm," Nora hummed. She made a mental note to grill Alexa about Danse later. She had a feeling there were at least a few interesting stories to hear about his past.

They reached the entrance to the cave, and after checking for visible enemies, began to head out into the Glowing Sea.

"Well... at least tell me about the vault that _you_ came from," Alexa said to Nora. "I never _did_ get to hear what Vault-Tec did to you guys."

"Erm, Alexa..." Danse interjected quickly, "that may not be the best-"

"It's... okay, Danse," Nora interrupted, her voice somewhat soft. She patted his armored shoulder and gave him a grateful nod. "People talk, and I'm sure most - if not _all_ \- of the Brotherhood probably knows the basics of my story by now. ...'No secrets in the Brotherhood', remember?"

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded back as Nora took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

* * *

Nora went through her story again for what felt like the hundredth time. She was beginning to think she could recite it in her sleep now. The images played back in her mind like a movie as she described everything up to her first few missions in the Brotherhood. She 'accidentally' left out her personal moments with Arthur - she figured Danse didn't really need or want to hear those kind of details about his superior, and she could always tell Alexa about them later - in exchange for dirt on Danse, of course.

Alexa, like all the others who'd heard Nora's story, was speechless for several moments after she finally finished speaking. "...You're over 200 years old..." she murmured incredulously.

"234, technically," replied Nora. "Born in 2053."

Alexa was silent for another long moment, then turned her head to stare at Nora. Even though Nora couldn't see her face, she could imagine what kind of expression was on it.

"I'm... so, _so_ sorry about your family, Nora," she said. "Your husband... and son..." She looked away and shook her head. "Damn Vault-Tec," she muttered bitterly. "And damn the Institute. Damn them _both_ to hell. I knew they were both despicable, but still..." She looked back at Nora again.

"The Institute _will_ pay for what it's done. I'm going to do _whatever_ it takes to help you get your son back. It's the _least_ I can do, after all you've done for me."

"We _both_ will," Danse added, with a nod from Alexa. He clapped a metal hand on her armored back. "You're not just my 'sister in steel' Nora, you're... well... like _family_. And I'll be damned if I'll just sit by and let you risk your life alone."

Even though Nora knew they couldn't see it, she smiled warmly. She'd left the vault feeling as though her whole world was over, that she'd lost everything she'd ever known... but with all of the friends she'd made since then, she was grateful for what she had now. With Virgil's schematics, there was hope - not only of stopping the Institute, but of getting Shaun back. Maybe her life wouldn't be what it once _was_... but perhaps it could be almost as good.

* * *

END NOTES:  
I know this was a super-short chapter (compared to many of my previous ones, I mean), my apologies! I just turned 37 weeks along in my pregnancy, my car recently got rear-ended by a teenage girl (the baby's fine, luckily), there's still stuff I need to get done, and unfortunately I don't have a ton of time for writing right now. I'd rather give you guys a short little something than make you wait so long for an update that you forget what's been happening in the story!

I promise I'll try to make my next one a bit longer, and some exciting stuff WILL be happening soon! Thank you SO much to those who've commented, left me kudos (AO3), and are still reading this, and I will do my best not to disappoint! :-D


	32. Chapter 32 - Learning Curve

A/N: I forgot how long it had been since my last update to this fanfic - the end of last August.  
...Eight months. EIGHT MONTHS. OmG, I am very, very sorry. For those who don't know, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy towards the end of September, and it has (understandably) taken up quite a bit of my time. I worked on this chapter in the little moments here and there when I could, and finally, FINALLY, I've finished it! It was a bit of a rocky journey, but I finally did it! WooHoo!

I hope you guys are still with me - and if so, thank you so, SO much for your patience! I promise I will totally make it worth the wait! Some interesting stuff is *definitely* about to go down for our characters, you won't want to miss it!

Please feel free to check out my Tumblr - I post a lot of FO4 stuff on it (quite a few interesting reblogs from other users, I won't lie), and also update it with news about this fanfic as well.  
Just look up 'solesurvivorkat' on Tumblr (FF dot net doesn't let me put a link here. Sigh).

Now that I'm getting into a somewhat-routine with my son (just turned 7 months old! :) ), I plan on devoting a little more time to this fic again and have already started working on the next chapter. ...I promise I will do everything possible to not make you guys wait another eight months for it, lol. As always, comments are LOOOVED! :-D

And finally - once again, a TREMENDOUS amount of thanks go out to 'Scorpio Skies', my beta reader. I would be ridiculously lost and never would have made it this far w/o you hon. You are truly the best!

* * *

 _"War never changes."_  
 _"...You're gonna knock 'em dead at the veterans hall tonight, hon."_  
 _"You think?"_  
 _"Absolutely. Now get ready and stop hogging the mirror."_  
 _"Right. ...Hey hon?"_  
 _"I'm hurrying, don't worry."_

Nora felt disoriented as two voices drifted in and out of her consciousness. What... where was she? What was going on? She blinked a few times, details slowly coming into focus. Pale yellow ceramic wall tiles... chrome fixtures...

She realized she was standing in front of the bathroom mirror in her home in Sanctuary Hills.

 _'Wait... what?'_

Something was wrong. She couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly, but she knew something wasn't quite right about this situation. She wiped a hand across the mirror, the condensation on it feeling warm and wet against her skin.

She stared at the woman in the reflection, a confused expression looking back at her. Something about her face... something was different. It was _her_ , of course, but... she didn't look the way she was accustomed to. Her face was fuller, pinker, less pale and drawn. Her hair seemed shinier, thicker... a little shorter than she remembered.

Why was she bothered that she looked so... 'healthy'? Why _shouldn't_ she? Wasn't that how she was _supposed_ to look?

She turned from the mirror and let her eyes wander around the bathroom for a few seconds, taking the room in. Everything looked the same as she remembered.

 _'...You'd think I hadn't seen my bathroom in years,'_ she thought curiously. Shaking her head and trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach, she walked out of the room and headed down the hallway.

She could hear the living room TV, the male newscaster's deep baritone voice reading the morning news.

 _"With the world poised on the brink of war, Vault-Tec is reporting a record number of reservations in vaults around the country. They announced a continuation of their popular 'Welcome Home' promotion, and report openings are still available in area Vaults 81, 111, and 114. Since debuting Vault 76 last year, in honor of America's Tercentenary, Vault-Tec continues to expand with plans for well over 100 vaults around the country."_

VAULTS. A twinge of fear suddenly flashed through Nora like a bolt of lightning, freezing her in her tracks.

Why did she feel so afraid? Sure, things were tense in the country right now - but Nate's mission in Alaska was over, and he was honorably discharged following his brief assignment in California. After she'd helped him get through his PTSD, it felt like he and her were finally beginning to grow closer again and start life anew with their son.

 _'Nate... Shaun...'_

She frowned when her thoughts of them caused her heart to ache a little, though she wasn't sure why. Things were finally back on track... why was she so apprehensive?

Her attention was diverted when a large metal object floated into her field of vision, and she recognized the accented voice that greeted her right away.

"Ah, good morning Mum! Lovely day, is it not?"

Codsworth. He rotated in her direction, a coffee cup clasped at the end of his outstretched arm. He moved closer to her and offered her the mug.

"Drink up! A little caffeine will start your day off right!" he proclaimed.

Nora took it from him gingerly and looked down at it. When was the last time she'd had a decent cup of coffee? The coffee they had aboard the Prydwen-

Her eyes widened and she gasped, dropping the mug in shock. Codsworth backed up about a foot, one of his mechanical eyes swiveling down to look at the mug, then back up at her again.

"Goodness Mum! Are you all right? You look as though you've seen a ghost!"

Her thoughts scattered once more, she shook her head to try and clear it. ...What had she been upset about again?

"Hon? Is everything okay?"

She looked up and saw Nate appear beside Codsworth in the hallway, concern written across his face.

 _'Nate...'_

She cleared her throat, surprised to find it tight and uncomfortable. "I'm... fine," she replied, her voice coming out in a hoarse croak. "I just... the mug must have slipped, that's all."

Nate opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock at the front door.

"Who could that be, this early in the morning?" he wondered aloud, looking at the doorway. He peered at Nora again before walking to the door and opening it. A man in a mustard-yellow hat and trenchcoat stood there. He grinned at Nate and tipped his hat, revealing rust-colored hair underneath.

"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!"

Nora gasped again, not understanding the tightness in her chest. She'd never seen this man before... what was wrong with her?

"Never mind this mess, Ms. Nora," Codsworth said, scooping up the mug from the floor. "I can clean it up for you. If I may - I believe Master Shaun requires your personal attention."

 _'Shaun...'_

As if in a trance, she turned and walked back up the hallway, turning to the last room on the right. A brightly-colored nursery greeted her as she slowly headed inside and looked around the room. A teddy bear on the floor, a few wooden alphabet blocks on a wall shelf, a baseball glove on a corner table, Shaun's crib with his rocket mobile hanging above his swaddled form...

Tears threatened Nora's eyes, but she wasn't sure of the reason. She stood next to Shaun's crib and peered down at him, his chubby cheeks and greenish eyes shining brightly back at her. She gave his mobile a gentle turn, observing him intently as he let out a happy coo and watched the rockets slowly rotate in a circle above his head.

"Wonder what Shaun will grow up to be..."

She turned to see Nate walking in, an affectionate smile on his face. As he slid his arms around her and looked down at Shaun, Nora grew uncomfortable. It felt somehow wrong to have his arms around her, and it left her puzzled and confused again.

"I was thinking... after breakfast, maybe we all could go for a walk in the park?" he asked her.

"Sure, why not..." she replied automatically, feeling like she'd somehow been through all this before.

"Sir? Mum? You should come see this!" Codsworth called from the living room, sounding a bit panicked. Nate frowned and glanced at Nora, then walked out of the room.

 _'Grab Shaun,'_ her brain told her, though she didn't understand the urgency in its tone. She picked him up and cuddled him against her tightly, then followed Nate to the living room. He was staring at the TV screen, looking pale and shocked.

 _"Followed by... yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions... We're... we're trying to get confirmation..."_ The newscaster's voice was choked with fear.

"What? What did he say?" Nora asked, disbelieving what she thought she'd just heard.

 _"But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations. We do have... coming in... confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania."_

"...My God," Nate whispered, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.

 _'No... not this... not again! I can't do this again!'_ Nora's thoughts wailed. She and Nate both jumped as the neighborhood air raid sirens began to blare, turning Nora's blood to ice. She held Shaun in an iron grip and turned to Nate.

"The vault... we need to get to the vault!" she exclaimed. She froze when she saw a calm, blank expression on his face. "Nate! Did you hear me?" she shouted. "We need to move! _NOW!_ "

He didn't move at first, then narrowed his eyes at her - his expression becoming dark and angry.

"This is all your fault," he muttered quietly, his eyes burning into hers. Her jaw dropped, barely recognizing the tone in his voice.

"Wh... what? We don't have time for this! We need to leave! Please Nate!" she pleaded, reaching a hand out to him. He snatched his hand back and took a step away from her.

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you, not anymore... and it's all your fault," he growled.

The surroundings suddenly changed and they now stood inside Vault 111 - in front of the cryopods they'd been frozen in over 200 years ago. Nate walked towards her, and her breathing became erratic when she noticed that Shaun was now absent from her arms.

"I held Shaun while you entered the pod," Nate said, fury laced throughout his voice. "Those Institute scientists ripped him out of my arms. Kellogg murdered me in cold blood. Took off with our child, while you just _lay there_." His eyes felt like they were piercing into her. "You couldn't protect me... and worse, you couldn't protect our son. He's trapped within the Institute - and where were _you?_ His life may be ruined - and it's all. Your. Fault."

He punctuated his last few words with pure hatred, standing only a few inches from her now. Nora felt herself shaking with fear, tears streaming from her eyes.

"No! I didn't- there was nothing I could do!" she lamented, her voice coming out high-pitched and feeble. "I would have traded my life for yours and Shaun's in a _heartbeat_! I hunted down Kellogg and killed him! I'm working on getting inside the Institute!" She backed up as she spoke, Nate matching her every step. "I _haven't_ forgotten our son - I would _never!_ "

He sneered and shook his head. "You're _pathetic_ ," he spat. "You forgot about _me_ quickly enough and moved on with someone else. What hope could our son possibly have with _you_ looking for him?" He raised his hands and gave her a hard shove backwards - only instead of her back hitting the cryopod behind her, she found herself standing outside on the entrance platform to Vault 111, the sirens still wailing around her.

"No! I loved you, Nate! Please don't leave me here!" she sobbed, looking around frantically for someone - anyone - to help her, but found no one. "I'll _never_ give up on Shaun! I swear it!" She saw a brilliant flash in the distance and became paralyzed with fear, the sirens and explosion from the nuclear bomb becoming almost deafening.

"Give Maxson my regards," she heard Nate say bitterly, before the light blinded her vision.

* * *

"Geez, can you get her to pipe down?"

"Shut up Morgan, she's clearly having a nightmare!"

"Nightmare or not, we need our sleep, too..."

"Nora... _Nora!_ "

Nora kept her eyes shut tight, trying to block out the blinding light. Her hands flew in front of her face in an attempt to shield herself, her shoulders shaking from the force of the blast. The sirens gradually faded, replaced by soft voices around her and an odd, rasping noise she couldn't identify. Wait... she was still alive? How...

"What is the meaning of this? What's going on here?"

She didn't want to open her eyes, didn't want to see the massive carnage left in the blast's wake... but if she was still living and not currently charred to a crisp...

Her shoulders were still shaking - not from the explosion as she had previously thought, but from a combination of fingers gently pressing into her flesh and her own trembling. She attempted to take a breath and found that the rasping noise she'd heard was the sound of her own terrified breathing.

Cautiously cracking one eye open, she realized that the 'light from the detonation' was actually a light being shone on her face. Shapes danced before her blurred vision, and she fought to focus her eyes while familiar voices spoke around her in hushed tones.

"Nora, it's okay... you're okay, you're safe..."

Those voices... she knew them. The light went out and she squinted in the darkness.

"B...Brooks?" she croaked feebly. His features slowly sharpened. He looked concerned and nodded at her.

"What...?" she trailed off, disoriented.

"You were having a nightmare," he said quietly. "A really bad one, at that."

"Can we _please_ get back to sleep now?" another voice grumbled, sounding tired.

"That's _enough_ , Morgan," a third voice replied testily. Danse's face appeared next to Brooks', his lips drawn together tightly.

Nora looked around and realized that she was back aboard the Prydwen in the soldiers' quarters of the ship, and not caught in the horrific blast of a nuclear explosion. Most of the soldiers were still asleep on their cots, but the other Knight she had awoken - Morgan - was sitting up on his and blinked sleepily at her, looking less than pleased.

She instinctively raised a hand to rub her forehead and was surprised to find beads of sweat there. A few blinks of her eyes revealed that she'd been crying in her sleep as well. So it had just been a bad dream...

Her face grew hot and she flushed with embarrassment, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here. Well... _almost_ anywhere.

"Let's go for a walk, soldier," Danse said gently. His strong arms pulled Nora up out of bed and to a standing position before she could protest. "It will make you feel better," he insisted, as if reading her mind. "You're relieved, Brooks."

He gave Brooks a nod and a pat on the shoulder, then led Nora away before Brooks could respond.

"Urgh... I hope this doesn't interfere with my duties tomorrow," Knight Morgan grumbled as he lay back down.

"Oh shut up, Morgan," Brooks snapped defensively. "Super Mutants don't usually waste time attacking creatures dumber than themselves." He ducked as a pillow whizzed by his head, missing him by inches.

* * *

Danse didn't speak as he led Nora away from the sleeping quarters. Knowing her, anything that gave her a nightmare _that_ upsetting wasn't something to be discussed out in the open. She must have felt the same, since she remained silent as well - other than an occasional sniffle and a deep breath as she began to get her breathing under control.

They arrived at his quarters and Danse cautiously glanced around, then pushed the door open. He motioned her inside with his head. Nora walked in and he followed behind, locking the door behind them. She sat on the edge of his bed and absently pulled her knees up to her chest, her heart still pounding as she stared at nothing in particular.

He sat down beside her and said nothing for a moment. "...Are you all right?" he eventually asked, his voice gentle. She bit her bottom lip and nodded, afraid that she'd start tearing up again. Another moment of silence passed. He gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Nora... talk to me," he prodded. "It's not good to keep things bottled up."

"...This is coming from _you?_ " she challenged, speaking without thinking - but was relieved when he responded with a soft chuckle.

"I see your stubborn side is still active, so that's something," he countered. Another pause. "Do you... want me to get-"

"Don't wake him up," she interrupted, reading his train of thought. "Please," she quickly added. "He has enough on his plate right now. He works so hard... he needs all the sleep he can get."

Danse didn't say anything, but nodded. He had to admit, he was impressed - she really was a tough woman, especially considering all that she'd been through. And not wanting him to disturb Arthur - even though she was clearly very bothered and the two of them had a... 'close relationship' - only showed her considerate nature. After thinking for a few seconds, he cleared his throat.

"Your nightmare - was it about... your son?"

She didn't answer right away, then shook her head meekly. "No... not quite."

When he just waited patiently, she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, trying to will the goosebumps away. If there was _anyone_ she could confide in, she knew Danse was her safest bet next to Arthur.

"It was more about... Nate. About the day of the bombings, over 200 years ago," she said. "Everything happened that day pretty much the way I remember - but when it came time to escape to the vault, he became like a different person. He blamed his death and Shaun's kidnapping on me, saying that everything that happened was _my_ fault. Then I was left to die alone, outside the vault right as the atomic blast happened."

Danse's eyebrows shot upwards, his mouth opening in surprise. "Nora... you _know_ that-"

"I know, I know," she interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "There was nothing I could have done. I wasn't the one that killed Nate, _Kellogg_ was. And I couldn't have done anything to prevent Shaun's kidnapping while locked inside my cryopod. But... knowing that still doesn't make me feel better about it." She shivered and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the images out of her head. "It... still felt so _real_."

Danse took a deep breath, reminded of unpleasant memories of his own as they flashed briefly through his mind. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him for comfort.

"I don't know if this helps, but... I understand how it feels - being in a situation in which you're helpless to save the people you care about, I mean," he said softly. "It's a horrible feeling. Sometimes it gets better with time, and sometimes..." As he trailed off, she looked up at him, watching him get lost in thought.

"...Cutler?" she asked gently, and Danse nodded, still staring off into space.

"I _still_ get the occasional nightmare, myself," he admitted reluctantly. "I wish I could tell you they go away, but sometimes the past keeps returning to haunt you. Knowing you couldn't have prevented the situation or handled it differently doesn't always mitigate any guilt."

"So... what do you recommend, 'Dr. Danse'?" she asked, a sad smile appearing on her face. He replied with a slight chuckle, pity crossing his expression.

"You seek support where you can get it," he told her. "We're all brothers and sisters in the Brotherhood of Steel. We work together as a team. More than a team - we're like family. _Most_ of us, anyway," he added, a bitter tone briefly seeping into his words before he turned to her again. "Knight-Captain Cade is available if you feel you need some help - but if you're not comfortable speaking with him, you can always come to me. You know I'll always be here for you, Nora. And so will Arthur." He chuckled and shook his head. "I have a feeling Brooks will, too - he looked like he was about to deck Knight Morgan before I got there."

She smiled at the thought of Brooks rolling around on the ground with Morgan, Danse attempting to pull them apart. She gave him a warm hug.

"Thanks Danse. I'm really happy to have you in my corner."

"Just don't think that I'll go any easier on you during training missions, soldier," he replied wryly.

Nora laughed and gave his shoulder a playful shove. "Perish the thought," she said. Her expression suddenly became thoughtful. "...What _were_ you doing up and around, anyway?"

Danse's smile faded, and to Nora's surprise he looked somewhat uncomfortable. "I... couldn't sleep," he murmured. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he sighed and shifted his weight. "Arthur is... announcing Alexa's return tomorrow," he admitted.

"Ohhh," Nora said, understanding his anxiety. "...Are you nervous about how the other soldiers will react?"

Danse nodded and absently ran a hand through his hair. "I probably don't need to remind you that she had quite the reputation in the Capital Wasteland, especially within the Brotherhood. Most that knew her still think she died years ago. If and when Elder Callahan hears about it..."

One of his hands tightened into a fist, which Nora quickly covered with her own.

"Then he won't be able to do anything about it without arousing suspicion, because I'm sure he knows Arthur isn't stupid, and that he - _and_ you - will be watching her like hawks," she countered. "So you don't need to worry - at least for now."

He considered this for a few seconds. "You're right," he relented. "Arthur knows what he's doing. I shouldn't worry so much."

"It's normal to worry about someone you care about," she said. The twinkle in her eye wasn't lost on Danse, whose face began to redden. She grinned and cleared her throat. "So uh, just out of curiosity... how much _do_ you care, exactly?"

He scowled at her and stood up, ignoring her failed attempt at not laughing. "Since you seem to be feeling better, I think it's time for you to go back to bed."

* * *

"...I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Alexa sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, shifting her weight from boot to boot. Her eyes kept periodically glancing over at the Command Deck doorway, as if she were considering bolting through it at any moment. A hand clapped her on the back and Nora's face appeared in her peripheral vision.

"Things will be fine, you'll see," Nora said. "I'm sure it was difficult for Paladin Brandis to return after his long absence as well - but the other members of the Brotherhood welcomed him with open arms. I'm certain they'll do the same for you."

"The circumstances of his return were a little different than mine," Alexa grumbled. "Not to mention Knight-Captain Cade has already cleared me for duty, while Brandis _still_ hasn't been allowed to leave the airport yet. I'd like for the Paladin to not resent me before I've even had a chance to _speak_ to him."

Watching Cade gape at her in shock before he had composed himself enough to examine her had not been the highlight of her morning. She knew Arthur had already spoken to him before her visit, but seeing her in the flesh had clearly still surprised him. Hopefully the other soldiers wouldn't _all_ react the same way, Brandis included.

"You're right, it _is_ different," Nora countered, and ticked off her points on her fingers as she spoke. "Brandis is quite a bit older than you, he was pretty traumatized by what had happened to his squad, and he was practically emaciated since being holed up in that bunker for so long with scarce supplies. It was a totally different situation health-wise, so you shouldn't feel too bad about it. Now, that being said-" she looked her up and down and smiled again.

"How are you liking the uniform? Does it bring back memories?" She fought to keep a straight face as her voice took on a sing-songy tone. "...Maybe memories of a certain sponsor of mine? _Hmmm?_ "

Alexa rolled her eyes, but couldn't help it as the corners of her mouth turned upwards. "Well it beats those weird robe-y things some of the members used to wear several years ago. I was never a huge fan of those - they made us look more like some kind of weird cult than an organized military organization... but Owyn Lyons seemed fine with them, so I wasn't going to make a fuss."

She glanced down at herself, briefly examining the orange uniform Arthur had procured for her earlier. It sure beat the old Vault 101 uniform that she'd been running a little ragged as of late. Her eyes moved back up to Nora.

"I don't think orange ever really _was_ my color... maybe I can follow Arthur and Brandis's lead and see if I can get a black one from Teagan instead." She paused, then smiled at Nora. "Or maybe _you_ can convince him to get me one. You seem to be good at talking people into things they might not be otherwise inclined to do. I assume that's not a new talent for you, eh?"

"You're certainly not the first, and I'm _sure_ you won't be the last," a deep voice replied.

The women turned as Arthur strode into the Command Deck, a wry look upon his face before he took on his usual stony expression.

"I plan on sending out an electronic memo as _well_ as the announcement today," he said to Alexa, "but the 'official' story around here will be that while you were missing and presumed deceased by the Brotherhood of Steel, you were unofficially scouting out intelligence in the Capital Wasteland and the Commonwealth - intelligence that might prove useful in our fight against both the Institute and the growing super mutant threat. Since your undercover work is still very delicate, however, news of your presence is _not_ to leave the airport - even to Brotherhood members in the Capital Wasteland - until further notice, under penalty of _severe_ punishment." He paused and took a deep breath.

"Eventually, the Brotherhood members in the Capital Wasteland and elsewhere _will_ need to be informed of your return - but there are more pressing matters to attend to first. Also, I highly doubt that Elder Callahan will refute our story once he finds out about you without arousing suspicion on _himself_ \- so when the time comes, we'll just take things one step at a time. Understood?"

Alexa stared at him for a moment, then a hint of a smile crossed her expression. "...Not bad, kid," she murmured.

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at her and she raised her hands apologetically.

"I know, I know, I can't call you that any more... I just had to get _one_ out of my system. Old habits die hard."

Nora couldn't hold back a snicker and quickly covered her mouth with a weak cough, trying to mask her slip-up. Alexa could've sworn the corner of Arthur's mouth began to twitch upwards, but any amusement disappeared from his expression as Lancer-Captain Kells entered the Command Deck.

"Sir," he greeted Arthur, "there are some urgent matters down at the airport than need your attention." He cast a glance at Alexa and was quiet for a moment, then nodded at her. "Paladin Howard. Elder Maxson gave me the news earlier this morning. Good to have you back amongst the Brotherhood."

"Thank you, Captain," she acknowledged. "Good to _be_ back."

Arthur nodded at Kells. "I'll be down as soon as I've made the announcement, Kells."

Kells saluted, then turned to Nora. "And Taylor - Proctor Quinlan would like to have a word with you as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," she saluted, turning back to Arthur and Alexa as Kells made his exit. "I still need to give the teleporter schematics to Proctor Ingram too," she told Arthur. "I'll give you any updates I have as soon as I get them."

He nodded and watched her start to leave, then cleared his throat gently. "Knight-"

When she turned back, he paused for a second.

"... _Try_ and stay out of trouble, soldier."

She grinned mischievously. "Now what fun would _that_ be?"

As she left the room, Arthur shook his head and Alexa chuckled.

"So... she certainly keeps things interesting around here, huh?" she joked.

"Indeed," Arthur replied dryly.

* * *

Nora decided to visit Proctor Ingram first, eager to get anything having to do with the Institute accomplished as soon as possible. She found her in the power armor bay as usual, repairing one of the suits. She approached the proctor and cleared her throat gently.

"Elder Maxson said you'd help me build the Signal Interceptor."

Proctor Ingram looked up at Nora from the suit, then smirked as she put down the tool she was using on a nearby table and turned to her.

"So... it looks like you're calling the shots around here, huh?" she replied. "All right, I'll bite. What does your new miracle device do?"

Nora handed the rolled-up schematics over to her. "The Institute uses teleportation to get in and out. This machine can hijack their signal and send _me_ instead."

As Ingram took the plans from her and unrolled them, her eyes darted back and forth over the paper repeatedly. She was momentarily silent as she digested the information.

"...Teleportation? Molecular transmission via encrypted RF waves?" Ingram's eyebrows shot upwards. "Okay, even _I_ have to admit - that's genius. This explains why we've been picking up anomalous energy readings all across the Commonwealth. Not to mention how they got their tin soldiers to come out of the damn walls. And this little beauty allows you to literally hijack a return signal. Instead of grabbing the intended target, it grabs _you_ instead. Impressive."

"Do you think you can build it?" Nora asked hopefully.

"If I can keep _this_ flying pile of junk in the air, I can work miracles," Ingram quipped. She looked up from the plans. "It's difficult to make out all the details here, but it looks like the device is going to need a cargo hold full of high-grade metal. I'm sure we have plenty of it right here at the airport."

Nora smiled at her wryly. "I suppose we can't just glue a bunch of parts together and hope for the best, huh?"

"Hey, _you're_ the one that's going to be standing on the thing," Ingram retorted. "If it blows up, it's going to hurt _you_ a lot more than it'll hurt me." She paused, then pursed her lips. "I'd wish you good luck, Knight... but I think we're both going to need it with this contraption."

* * *

"...What exactly is a 'research patrol?' "

Nora raised an eyebrow at Proctor Quinlan, who was currently sorting through a box of documents on his desk.

"Simply put, we send a small team to scout a location and evaluate its technical and historical relevance," he explained. "Saves us from sending an entire retrieval team to a worthless location. There's too much information out there, and it mustn't go to waste."

She couldn't help feeling a little impatient about anything that distracted from the Signal Interceptor. To say that she was anxious to get to the Institute felt like an understatement.

"And... you want _me_ to assist with this?"

"I can't deny my excitement over the prospect of fresh data," Quinlan replied, not looking up from his box. "However, it wasn't _me_ that requested your presence. The scribe on the team asked for you _specifically_."

Her other eyebrow shot up, but he went on speaking before she had time to wonder about the scribe.

"While our scribes are well trained, combat is not their specialty. You'll be protecting them while they collect information." He found whatever document he'd been searching for and pulled it out of the box, scrutinized it for a moment, then finally looked up at Nora. "Most people don't realize how critical a good research patrol can be. A scribe's work is never done - there's _always_ more knowledge out there. So - I take it we can rely on your service? You _have_ been doing some exceptional work for the Brotherhood since your initiation."

She pursed her lips for a moment, then let out a small sigh of resignation. _'Well... maybe it'll give Ingram some needed time for the teleporter,'_ she thought.

"All right Proctor," she nodded, "You can count on me."

"Wonderful!" he replied cheerfully. "You'll rendezvous with the scribe on the ground. She'll have a location for you."

* * *

Danse had just finished his morning exercise routine in his quarters and sat on the edge of his bed to rest for a moment. He looked up when he heard a knock on the door and saw Nora's face appear from the hallway.

"Feeling better?" he asked her gently.

"Yes... luckily the rest of my sleep was uneventful," she nodded. "Thank you again for... just lending an ear."

He waved a hand in the air indifferently as she entered the room.

"You're welcome, but thanks aren't really needed. You would be there for me if I ever needed it." He suddenly noticed her suit of power armor and raised an eyebrow. "Are we heading out again already?"

She shook her head with a small smile.

"Actually, Proctor Quinlan requested me for a research patrol. Or more accurately - one of the _other_ scribes did. I was just about to go, but I wanted to stop by first." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's a welcome change from hunting down a Courser or surviving lethal amounts of radiation, eh?"

She gave him a small wink, causing Danse to smile.

"Well I know you're _more_ than capable of a simple mission like that," he said, "but I don't mind accompanying you, if you feel it necessary."

"That's okay, something like this shouldn't take too long," she replied. "Besides - I think Alexa might appreciate your company a little more. She... seemed a bit nervous about Arthur's announcement. I think she's unsure of how she'll be received by the other soldiers and could probably use some encouragement."

Danse looked thoughtful for a moment, then stood and crossed the room to Nora.

"I suppose it _would_ be a good idea to keep an eye on her today," he mused. He paused, then regarded her with an odd smile. "After all, she always did seem to have the same penchant for getting into trouble that _you_ do. ...Perhaps it's an innate quality in vault dwellers?"

He chuckled as Nora swatted his arm playfully, taking extra care at the last moment as she remembered that she still had her power armor on.

* * *

Once on ground level, Nora glanced around for the scribe she was to escort and spotted her standing by the doorway to the airport hangar, her back facing towards Nora. The scribe turned as Nora walked up to her, and she almost fell out of her power armor when she saw who it was.

"Haylen!" she exclaimed with a grin. Haylen smiled back at her as Nora exited her suit and gave the scribe a warm hug. "How are you? What are you doing here? _You're_ the scribe that requested me?"

Haylen laughed and held her hands up in front of her once she released Nora.

"Woah woah, one question at a time Nora. Yes, I requested you specifically. I already know how good of a soldier you are, and that I can trust you to keep me safe. ...You _did_ save our butts back at the Cambridge Police Station, after all." With a quick wink, she continued. "There's a lot more Brotherhood members covering the station now, so I figured I'd take a little break to scout out a potential research location. I hope you don't mind joining me."

"Not at all," Nora replied. "If I get lucky, I might find some useful parts I need for... this thing I'm working on." Not knowing if the teleporter was classified or not, she decided to keep the information vague, just in case.

Haylen raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask questions. She opened her mouth to speak again when a metal-covered hand clapped on her shoulder and Knight Womack's face appeared behind her.

"Ladies!" he exclaimed cheerfully, looking from her to Nora. "Are we ready to go?"

"Womack? You're coming too?" Nora asked, surprised. He and Haylen both nodded.

"The location we're heading to is the South Boston Military Checkpoint," Haylen explained. "We don't know a lot about it, but reports have come in that there are a few Gunners in the area. Normally research patrols are just a two-man team, but if Gunners are involved we don't want to take any unnecessary risks. We all know how dangerous _they_ can be."

"Scum," added Womack, his expression suddenly hardening. "The Brotherhood's lost some damn good soldiers to Gunners. I relish any and _every_ opportunity to take those amoral bastards down." He paused, then grinned devilishly once more.

"Well don't keep me waiting, ladies... daylight's a-wasting!" He hoisted his laser rifle over his armored shoulder, then began whistling a jaunty tune as he headed towards the airport exit. Nora and Haylen watched him go for a few seconds before Nora climbed back into her power armor and looked at Haylen.

"...Remind me to always stay on his good side," she said dryly. Haylen snickered and shook her head a little.

"You have no idea," she replied. "He makes _Rhys_ look pleasant when he's angry enough."

* * *

"So... this is the checkpoint, huh?" Womack's hushed voice sounded from under his helmet. "Doesn't seem too difficult."

Nora equipped her own helmet, not wanting to take any chances with a stray Gunner bullet. All the armor in the world didn't make a difference if your head was unprotected. She didn't know what she'd been expecting from this location, but it seemed somewhat... underwhelming.

There were a few rusted cars around the main building, which didn't look much bigger than a convenience store or a small bunker. An open trailer sat on the road some yards away. The area was relatively quiet - if there were Gunners around, they weren't making themselves known.

The three of them were crouched behind a small cluster of nearby boulders and trees. Nora and Womack looked at each other, then at Haylen, who was bringing up the rear.

"Don't let your guard down," Womack reminded them. "Gunners are different from your average raider - they're twice as smart, _just_ as sadistic, and unfortunately more organized."

After a nod from Haylen and Nora, they readied their laser weapons and cautiously made their way out from behind the cover of the brush. Creeping forward, they kept their eyes peeled for the slightest movement. After passing the battered chain-link fence surrounding the building, they paused by the entrance and hugged the wall beside it.

Womack turned to the women and opened his mouth to speak, but they all jumped as a pre-war military broadcast suddenly blared through their surroundings.

 _"This is an emergency message to all Commonwealth army soldiers: Emergency protocols One Seven Echo Charlie Niner are in effect! If you are in distress, please proceed to the South Boston Military Checkpoint for aid. Coordinates are available in your emergency handbook. This checkpoint has been designated as a safehouse in case of enemy invasion, and is currently stocked with additional food, water, and ammunition. This safehouse is for military personnel only. Citizens, including non-military family members, will be turned away for matters of national safety. This message will repeat."_

"Damn it! We must have triggered some kind of perimeter sensor or something!" Nora heard Womack say, forced to use the comms in their helmets in order to be heard over the noise. "Be ready for-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as a bullet whizzed by and embedded into the wall behind him, missing his helmet by mere centimeters. He and Nora shielded Haylen with their armored bodies, eyes darting around frantically for the shooter.

"Trailer!" Nora exclaimed as a flash of movement in the opposite direction caught her eye.

Womack raised his rifle and took the shooter out with a well-aimed headshot as soon as the Gunner leaned out of the door. When they detected no further movement inside the trailer, the trio turned to the building entrance. They couldn't hear much over the booming of the automated message, but in the little pauses between the speaker's sentences Nora heard what sounded like someone moving around inside.

She looked to Womack and after a nod of confirmation, they rushed into the building side by side, Haylen still taking cover behind them. Two Gunners had taken cover behind a desk in the center of the room. They opened fire as they entered, but Nora and Womack shielded Haylen with their armor and made quick work of the mercenaries with a few well placed shots.

When the room was clear, Haylen rushed towards the terminal on the desk and began typing furiously.

Womack's helmet swiveled left to right as he looked around the room. "There's gotta be _some_ way to shut that damn thing off," he hollered over the transmission, still blasting loudly.

"I think... I thought I saw some kind of speaker on a pole outside," Nora suggested, pointing towards the doorway. They lumbered out to have a look and sure enough, one was bolted on the telephone pole by the fence.

Womack aimed his rifle and shot the speaker, destroying it in a shower of sparks. The silence that followed was almost music to Nora's ears.

"Ahhh, much better," Womack sighed. He and Nora headed back into the building to search for useful supplies. He removed his helmet and ran a metal hand over his scalp. "Urgh... we're gonna bruise later, that's for sure."

As he pulled open a desk drawer to peek inside, Nora removed her own helmet and took a deep breath, rolling her right shoulder where a bullet had ricocheted off of the metal.

"At least we're relatively unharmed," she replied. "All things considered, it could have been a lot worse."

After collecting all the ammo and supplies in the building, they turned to Haylen, who straightened up from the desk with a smile.

"Done - terminal secured for the Brotherhood," she remarked proudly. "Mission accomplished, soldiers."

"All right!" Womack grinned. "That was almost _too_ easy. Not that I'm complaining or anything..."

The three of them walked outside and headed towards the nearby trailer. Womack peered at Haylen out of the corner of his eye.

"So... I guess you'll be heading back to the police station once we report in, huh?" he asked her.

"Not necessarily," she replied with a shrug. "They have a couple other scribes there now, so I'm sure they won't mind if I do some more work at the Prydwen."

"Oh _really?_ " he drawled. "Hmm... that's good to know." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down a couple times at her, a grin slowly growing on his face.

Nora snorted while Haylen rolled her eyes.

"...Or maybe they'll _miss_ me at the police station, and I should head back right away," she said. Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was still a hint of a smile on her face.

"I don't think _Rhys_ will miss you - he barely does more than bark orders at you," Womack countered, smile still present but a slight chill to his voice. "...Pretty stupid of him to not appreciate a good thing when he sees it."

Haylen frowned - but instead of looking annoyed at Womack, she looked almost... sympathetic.

"...Steve-" she mumbled quietly.

Before Nora had time to wonder what all this was about, they were interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. The bullet hit the helmet Nora was carrying with a loud ping, the force knocking it to the ground away from her.

They rushed to the side of the trailer for cover. Womack tugged Haylen behind him protectively while he shoved his helmet onto his head.

"Now what?" he grunted, raising his rifle menacingly.

"Stupid!" A male voice barked from a distance away. "You could've hit her! They want her _unharmed!_ "

"Can it! It's harder than it looks," a female voice snarled back.

Womack glanced between the two women behind him, who both looked back at him with wide eyes. Whoever these people were... they were after either Haylen or Nora. He didn't know why - but he wasn't about to let that happen. They'd have to go through _him_ first.

He inched further down the side of the trailer. Luckily, the Gunner that he'd shot earlier had left the doorway open on _both_ sides. He very cautiously leaned his head down, just enough to peek through the openings.

...He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't _this_.

A bunch of raiders were standing behind some trees and brush a small distance away. They were either really bad at taking cover, or were confident enough in their numbers that they didn't _care_ how visible they all actually were. A quick headcount led Womack to deduce that there were five of them.

Two of the five were women in crude, skimpy raider leathers. Another of them - most likely male, judging by his lean but muscular build - had a gas mask obscuring his face. The remaining two were unmasked males. The masked raider looked at one of the women.

"Let's just get this done," he muttered, Womack straining to hear him. "The sooner we get the woman, the sooner you get your chems and we'll be out of your hair."

Before Womack could process this, Nora's voice distracted him.

"Womack, who are they? More Gunners?"

"Raiders," he grunted, keeping his eyes trained on them. "Five of them. Four armed, and one wearing a gas mask that doesn't _appear_ to be. Be careful - something's off about these guys... even for _raiders_."

"HEY! Tin Man!" One of the other raiders shouted. "Just give us the metal girl and we MIGHT let you live! Whaddya say?"

Raucous laughter emanated from the raiders' direction. Nora's jaw dropped as Haylen and Womack's gaze darted over to her.

 _'They only want me? ...What would a bunch of raiders want with me?'_ Nora thought. _'Unless...'_

She didn't have time to explore that school of thought as a dangerous growl came from Womack. He whirled around, thrust his rifle through the trailer doorway, and let fly a wide burst of gunfire.

"How's _THAT_ for an answer?" he snarled at the group.

There was a commotion as the raiders cursed and scattered for cover.

"Oh that's it - you Brotherhood assholes are dead!" a third male hollered.

"Womack!" Haylen hissed at him, eyes narrowed.

"What?" he shot back. "Like I'm gonna let a bunch of idiot raiders have Nora?"

"I know, but-"

They were interrupted when the raiders appeared at the side of the trailer just feet away, their guns at the ready. At that moment, things almost seemed to happen in slow motion.

Womack pulled Haylen behind his power armor and aimed his rifle. Nora scanned the immediate area, spotted her helmet lying nearby and dove for it. She felt bullets ricochet off of her armor and gasped as the back of it suddenly let out a _hiss_ , followed by a rapid beeping that was increasing in speed.

 _'...Oh shit...'_

"Nora!" she heard Womack yell over the gunfire. "Your suit! Get out and take cover!"

Nora, still on the ground, fumbled for the exit switch while trying not to get hit by the raiders' fire. She breathed a quick sigh of relief as she finally activated it and scrambled out of the suit - just _barely_.

"No!" The masked raider pushed two of his nearby allies behind him, his head swiveling around. "Get back!" he yelled. "The fusion core's unstable!"

The back of her power armor had already begun to glow red, the ruptured fusion core emitting smoke. With a few final abrupt beeps, a bright light engulfed the armor before it exploded, throwing everyone backwards with brute force.

The last thing Nora saw before everything went black was the masked man trying to charge towards her, only to be pulled back by the other raiders at the last second.

* * *

"You idiot! What the hell were you thinking? You could have _killed_ her!"

"Get your damn hands 'offa me! I didn't mean for the freakin' suit to explode! Besides - I got her _out_ of it, didn't I? Dumb bitch woulda been near impossible to take down still _in_ it!"

"You-!"

Nora floated in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of the shouting nearby. She struggled to open her eyes, but a dull ache in her head made her squeeze them shut again.

 _'What...?'_

She managed to crack one eye open, her head now throbbing. She was laying on the ground on her stomach, that much she could tell. Straining her muscles, she slowly lifted her head - which felt like it weighed about a hundred pounds - and looked in the direction of the conversation.

"Woah, hey! Knock it off, you two."

It was some of the raiders from before. The masked man held another raider by his shirt, looking like he was about to punch him. A woman was trying to intervene. Nora could see another couple of raiders laying on the ground a few feet away. From the looks of them - and the parts that were left attached to them - they didn't survive the blast.

Oh God... where were Haylen and Womack? Were they all right? Or...

A feeling of dread overtook her as her eyes darted around frantically for her friends. She tried to keep her body as still as she could, not wanting to alert the surviving raiders that she was awake. She finally spotted the two of them on the ground a few yards away from her. Womack's armored body was on its side, curled protectively around Haylen's.

 _'He must have tried to shield her from the explosion at the last second,'_ Nora realized, her heart sinking. Tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes and her chest tightened, fearing the worst. She fought the panic and grief of not being able to check on them without calling attention to herself, but knew she had to do something.

 _'If I lay here and do nothing, these raiders will take me who-knows-where and do God-knows-what with me. They'll also kill Womack and Haylen for sure - if they're even still alive...'_

She glanced at her surroundings, searching for something - _anything_ \- that might help her. Her eyes came to rest on a small cylindrical object a few feet away, and her heart gave a small leap in her chest - a signal grenade! One of the ones that Arthur had given her! It must have gotten free from her supplies in the explosion.

She glanced from the grenade, to the raiders, and back to the grenade again. There were three raiders and one of her. ...It wasn't hard to do the math. Even if she managed to take one of them out, she wouldn't be able to handle _all three_ \- especially in her injured state, and with no power armor.

If she couldn't save _herself_... she would at least do her damndest to save her friends.

A quiet groan interrupted her thoughts. She snapped her gaze back to Womack and Haylen in time to see them beginning to stir. They were alive! Her heart pounded with both relief and anxiety. There wasn't much time - she needed to act fast.

She began to crawl towards the signal grenade, trying not to draw the raiders' attention.

"Look, you wanted the stupid woman - now she's yours for the taking," the female raider was saying to the masked man. "Let's just get her so _you_ can go back to your two weirdos, and we can collect our reward."

The three raiders turned towards Nora and did a double-take when they saw the red plume of smoke from the signal grenade begin to curl towards the sky.

"Son of a- ...freaking bitch!" the unmasked raider yelled, drawing his rifle and pointing it at Nora.

"No!" The masked man cried out and quickly shoved the barrel of the rifle away, pointing it in a different direction. "...The other soldiers won't get here in time. We have what we came for - let's just take her and go, while we still can."

It was an odd sensation for Nora... feeling relief that her comrades would be safe, rescued by the Brotherhood - but panic at who these raiders were, and what they wanted with her... or what they would do with her. ... _To_ her. Were they doing this because they knew about her and Arthur? Because she was General of the Minutemen? Or... perhaps... did this have to do with Dr. Amari's kidnapping?

Her thoughts flew out the window as the three raiders started to approach her, each going in a different direction to surround her as they drew closer. She winced and grunted in pain as she struggled to her feet. Maybe she was outnumbered, but she sure as hell didn't intend to go quietly with these bastards - not after what they did to Womack and Haylen.

She spotted _Righteous Authority_ , her trusty laser rifle, a couple feet away. Her body screamed in protest as she rapidly bent over to retrieve it and pointed it at the masked man directly in front of her.

The other raiders readied their weapons, but the masked man held up his hands, signaling for them to lower theirs.

"...That won't be necessary," he said, and Nora wasn't entirely sure if he was speaking to the other raiders or to her. Something about him... she felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at him, and wasn't sure why. For reasons she couldn't explain, she lowered her rifle and took a couple steps closer to him.

"Who... who are you?" she asked him softly. He seemed... different than the other raiders. More... civilized. Like he didn't really belong with them.

The man stared at her silently from behind the eyes of his gas mask for a few seconds, then slowly moved his hands up to the bottom of his mask and began pushing it up off of him.

"N...Nora..."

A strained male voice caught her attention and she turned her head to see that Womack had removed his helmet. He and Haylen were staring at her with pained expressions, both too weak to get up.

"R-run..." Womack rasped, concern visible on his face.

 _'It'll be all right,'_ she wanted to reassure him. _'Help is coming. You and Haylen will be safe now...'_

She turned back to the man in front of her, now unmasked. When she saw his face, her body froze in shock. Her throat felt like it immediately closed up - like someone had their hands around it and was squeezing the life out of her. Tears instantly pooled into her eyes, unnoticed by her.

"...It... it can't be..." she breathed.

The man's stoic expression changed, looking at her with something akin to pity. When he opened his mouth and spoke, his voice was like a dagger to her heart... like a _thousand_ daggers to her heart.

"I'm sorry about this. Truly... I am."

Before Nora could do anything else, she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck - then knew no more.


	33. Chapter 33 - First Meetings

Pain. That was the first thing that Womack registered. A dull throbbing in his head, and his body feeling weighed down. Something had happened. Something bad. What... was it again?

' _Breathe, Steve. Don't panic. Remember what Williams taught you._ _Think_ _.'_

Okay okay, uh... eyes first. He could almost hear Paladin Williams' deep voice reciting in his head: ' _80% of what we learn and perceive is through our vision.'_ He cracked one eye open (an action which took more effort than he was expecting) and quickly closed it again with a quiet groan when sunshine momentarily increased the ache between his eyes.

' _Daylight,'_ he realized. Okay - he was outside, and it was daytime. That was something. Another thing he'd noticed before his eye had snapped back shut - his power armor helmet's HUD. He was in his power armor.

Shifting his weight gingerly, he tested out his limbs and extremities, wriggling what parts he could move. Stiffness, definitely soreness - but as far as he could tell, nothing felt broken. Five... make that _ten_ fingers... and ten toes. Good. Hmm... he was sprawled out on his side, and his arms were wrapped around something.

A soft, feminine sigh gave him his next clue. A woman? Peeking open an eye again briefly, he caught a glimpse of what looked like... a field scribe uniform?

' _...Haylen!'_ he realized, the day's events suddenly hitting him like a ton of bricks. A research patrol. Gunners. Completing the mission and getting ready to head back to the Prydwen. Raiders... who wanted Nora. An explosion... Nora's power armor. His last thought before he'd lost consciousness was to protect an unarmored Haylen.

Goddamnit... if anything had happened to her because of those motherf-

She began to stir and he forced himself to focus his energy on her, instead of his own problems. After a beat, he managed to open both eyes to small slits and peered down at his chest.

Her eyes were still shut for now, but her brow furrowed slowly. With a quiet grunt she squirmed again, her eyelids attempting to open.

At that moment, the sound of a testy, unfamiliar female voice caught his attention.

"Look, you wanted the stupid woman - now she's yours for the taking. Let's just get her so _you_ can go back to your two weirdos, and _we_ can collect our reward."

As realization set in Womack's mind, his muscles tensed up. ' _The raiders from before... they're talking about Nora. We have to get her out of here...'_

He cautiously angled his neck around and scanned his surroundings, hoping she wasn't critically injured. A couple raiders were slumped lifelessly on the ground nearby - expressions vacant, eyes staring into nothingness, bodies missing some limbs from the explosion. Holding back the urge to wince, he glanced at the surviving raiders that were still arguing, then spotted Nora on her stomach a short distance away, looking weary - but at least conscious. His eyes widened a bit when he saw red smoke from one of her signal grenades rising from the ground nearby.

' _Atta girl... smart plan,'_ he thought, a glimmer of pride briefly outweighing his discomfort.

"Son of a- ...freaking bitch!" One of the raiders - the unmasked male - yelled out, drawing his rifle and pointing it at Nora.

Womack's breath stopped dead in his chest, but sighed when the masked raider quickly shoved the gun barrel aside.

"No! The other soldiers won't get here in time," he assured the other man. "We have what we came for - let's just take her and go, while we still can."

' _There's... nothing I can do...'_ Womack lamented, his heart sinking. ' _I'm too weak to do anything useful, and even if I_ _wasn't_ \- _I couldn't just leave Haylen.'_ He watched the scene unfolding before his eyes helplessly, his armored hands curling into fists.

The three raiders circled Nora, resembling predatory deathclaws about to strike a fatal blow to their prey.

She struggled to her feet and cast her eyes about, then dove for something on the ground nearby - her laser rifle, Womack realized. She pointed it at the masked man directly in front of her.

The other two raiders readied their weapons, but the masked man held his hands up to them, signaling for them to lower theirs.

"That won't be necessary," he said.

"Steve..."

A frail female voice diverted Womack's attention again. He glanced down at his chest to see Haylen squinting up at him, her brow knitted and damp with sweat. He reached upwards with a shaky hand and unfastened his helmet, removing it with a feeble push. The air instantly cooled his now-exposed skin and another brief flicker of pain moved across his forehead. Taking a fresh gulp of air, he gave Haylen a careful, reassuring squeeze before looking back to Nora - who seemed to be having some kind of staredown with the masked raider.

"Who... who are you?" Nora asked.

The man regarded her silently for a few seconds, then made to remove his mask.

' _Why the hell are you just standing there, Nora?'_ Womack wanted to yell. ' _You've shot raiders before, in worse odds than this. Blast 'em or get the hell out of here!'_

He opened his mouth to speak and fought the urge to cough, his throat suddenly tight and dry. "N...Nora..."

She turned towards him as the raider unmasked himself. Womack's eyes briefly darted to the raider, fury sweeping through him. This jerkoff wasn't going to get away with this, if it was the last thing he ever did. He'd hunt him down, if he ever got the chance - even if it took him _years_. His eyes shifted back to Nora, who looked surprised to see him conscious.

"R-run..." He rasped, hoping she'd find a way to try and escape somehow.

She turned back to look at the man in front of her - but as soon as she saw his face, her posture immediately grew rigid. Her jaw dropped open and tears began pooling in her eyes.

"It... it can't be..." she whispered in a choked voice, starting to tremble.

' _She... she_ _knows_ _him...'_ Womack realized in shock.

The man's stoic expression changed, looking almost... sympathetic.

"I'm sorry about this," he said softly, as the other two raiders approached Nora. "Truly... I am."

Womack's heart hammered in his chest as the female raider pulled a syringe out of a small pack strapped to her waist. She uncapped it and shoved it forcefully into the side of Nora's neck.

"No!" Womack croaked weakly. He struggled to move, wanting nothing more than to race into action and punish these raiders slowly and painfully... but his limbs failed him and pain seared across his forehead once again. He hissed and squeezed his eyes shut. A warm hand gently cupped his cheek.

"Steve... don't move," Haylen's voice ordered him firmly.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to a squint, just in time to see the head raider catch Nora's sinking body and heft her up into his arms bridal style. With a nod to the other two, they all turned and started running in the opposite direction.

He tried to follow them but was overcome by a wave of nausea, the world tilting like a drunken vertibird. He sank back on the ground as his vision dimmed, all sound muffled and distant. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was the distant roar of a vertibird closing in, and Haylen's voice attempting to reassure him.

"Hang in there, Steve... you're going to be okay..."

* * *

Alexa took a deep drag from the cigarette tucked between her fingers, vaguely eyeing the Commonwealth over the Prydwen's flight deck railing. She shook her head with a sigh, the grey plume of smoke from her exhale curling and drifting away in the breeze. It'd been a long time since she'd had one of these, and they tasted stale as all hell... but under the circumstances, she felt entitled. Arthur's electronic memo had gone out to the terminals in the Prydwen and airport earlier - and though he'd stressed the importance of discretion regarding her readmission into the Brotherhood, she'd all but felt every pair of eyes she passed in the metal hallways boring into the back of her skull. She'd finally given up and come outside for a moment or two of peace, away from obvious stares and quiet whispers.

She'd received the occasional "Welcome back, Paladin" from the more seasoned soldiers, while the younger ones had simply gawked at her in awe - no doubt having heard tales of her earlier years working on Project Purity with Sarah Lyons, fighting the Enclave, her time in the Lyons' Pride, or her later missions with Sarah, Richard Cutler, and one Michael Danse.

She frowned, memories floating up in her recollection like her cigarette smoke in the wind, as she reminisced about her earlier Brotherhood life.

* * *

 _ **"**_ _ **Alexa!"**_

 _The redhead looked up from her breakfast tray and smiled at Sarah as her friend took a seat across from her at the table._

 _"Hiding from the newer recruits, eh?" she asked Alexa, a sly grin on her face. "There's quite a few that are eager to meet 'the hero of the Wasteland', you know."_

 _Alexa snorted and rolled her eyes, shoving another forkful of food into her mouth. She'd tried to quash the nickname as soon as she'd heard a couple Initiates calling her that, but kept hearing it in whispers as she'd passed them in the Citadel corridors._

 _"_ _We both know that_ _Fawkes_ _was the one that started the water purifier," she mumbled, "and I hardly took down the Enclave all by myself. I was just one of_ _many_ _Brotherhood soldiers doing my duty - yourself included."_

 _Sarah nodded. "Maybe... but essentially, he just pushed a button - even if the surroundings_ _were_ _too dangerous for you or me. Not that I'm not grateful, that is." She paused, then gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "People don't like to remember that a super mutant helped to save the Wasteland, any more than some of them like that the Brotherhood of Steel were the ones that helped make it mostly believe what they_ _want_ _to believe, and conveniently forget the rest."_

 _Before any more words could be exchanged between the two, a tall man with sandy blonde hair strolled up behind Sarah, a cocky smile on his face. " 'Scuse me - you're Knight Howard, correct?" he asked Alexa. Before she could respond, he bent down and leaned towards her, resting his elbows on the table beside Sarah - seemingly oblivious to her presence._

 _"_ _I've heard a great deal about you around the Citadel," he continued, flashing her a wide, shark-like grin. "Very impressive. The Brotherhood of Steel is quite lucky to have a soldier like you amongst its ranks." His blue-green gaze trailed down her figure, then rose back up to meet her eyes again. "Fierce_ _and_ _beautiful. Perhaps... we could discuss your accomplishments some more? Somewhere a little more... private?"_

 _Alexa's eyebrows shot upwards, thrown for a loop. She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh out loud at his ridiculous preening or be offended. Sarah, who hadn't moved since their interruption, suddenly cleared her throat with authority._

 _"_ _And what was_ _your_ _name again, soldier?" she drawled, fighting to look stern as she turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest._

 _The man cast a quick, uninterested look her way, then did a double-take and straightened up as if someone had suddenly stuck a pin in him._

 _"S-Sentinel Lyons!" he gasped. "Uhh... I uhh-"_

 _"_ _Yes, that's_ _my_ _name," she quipped, the corners of her mouth starting to twitch upwards. "But you still haven't identified_ _your_ _self."_

 _"Er-" he responded feebly._

 _Alexa bit her bottom lip, trying to hide a smile as the man shifted his weight from foot to foot anxiously. He wasn't hard on the eyes, sure - he had a handsome face, accented by a well-toned body. She had a feeling he was already aware of his own positive features, however - up until Sarah had surprised him, it didn't sound like this was his first time trying to garner a woman's attention. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of pity for him... he seemed to be suffering enough from choosing to use such bold speech in front of the Elder's daughter - a Sentinel herself, no less._

 _She was about to come to his rescue when someone else beat her to it. Another man suddenly appeared next to him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Alexa's breath momentarily caught in her throat as she stared at him, caught off-guard. This new visitor was... quite handsome. Not that his friend was less so, but... something about this other soldier - whether it was his chestnut-colored eyes, the scruff of his facial hair, or the faded undercut style of his dark hair... something she couldn't quite put her finger on._

 _"_ _I'm... very sorry for my friend here, Sentinel," the darker-haired man mumbled, his deep voice sending a slight shiver through Alexa. He looked almost as uncomfortable as the blonde man. "He's not quite used to showing restraint or having superiors to show respect to. Please forgive him for any offense... it was quite unintentional, I'm sure."_

 _He narrowed his eyes at the other man and gently elbowed him in the side. The other man shook his head and seemed to remember himself._

 _"CUTLER!" he barked out, then cleared his throat as his friend grunted and rolled his eyes. "I mean... Initiate Richard Cutler. Is my name. Ma'am," he finished awkwardly._

 _Sarah stood up, and Alexa fought another smile as the sentinel was at least a head shorter than the men, but suddenly looked twice as dangerous._

 _"_ _Well - Initiate - perhaps it's time you learn to properly respect your fellow brothers_ _and_ _sisters-in-steel, if you want to remain a part of the Brotherhood." Though her voice was calm, there was fire in her words. "You would be wise to think before speaking in the future, I imagine... even wiser to avoid using the Brotherhood as your own personal... 'call house'." She narrowed her eyes slowly._

 _"I... yes sir. MA'AM-" Cutler quickly corrected, his cheeks and ears beginning to turn pink._

 _Sarah 'hmm'ed and after pursing her lips, gestured to the dark-haired man with her head. "You could probably stand to learn a thing or two from your friend here." Her eyes shifted to the other man. "Your name, soldier?"_

 _The other man straightened up a little, which was surprising as his posture had already appeared ramrod-straight. "Initiate Michael Danse, ma'am," he responded promptly. "If I may say so - the stories about your heroism and great deeds are very impressive, to say the least. It's an honor to be standing in your presence."_

 _Cutler's mouth twitched for a fraction of a second, almost imperceptible, and Alexa had a feeling that he'd be rolling his eyes if he thought he could get away with it. She couldn't help smirking and decided that she kind of liked these two - for different reasons - despite the circumstances. They were nothing if not amusing._

 _Sarah opened her mouth to reply when a paladin in power armor approached her side._

 _"Sentinel Lyons? Your father requests your presence in his quarters."_

 _She nodded at the soldier and looked back at the two men. "Initiates. Hopefully our next meeting will go much differently." They saluted her as she turned to Alexa, raising an eyebrow at her questioningly._

 _Alexa gestured in the opposite direction with her head and a knowing smile. 'I'll be fine', she tried to convey without words. The corner of Sarah's mouth turned up slightly, and she nodded back as she and the paladin walked off. Alexa's gaze returned to the other two men._

 _"So..." she drawled, raising an eyebrow at Cutler. "Do you still want to discuss my... 'accomplishments'?"_

 _Cutler laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm uh... sorry about that... ma'am," he added hesitantly. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."_

 _She smiled and shook her head. "Please... Alexa, not 'ma'am'. I'm not great with titles. And I'm sure I'm hardly the first woman that you've... 'propositioned'. I bet I won't be the last."_

 _"_ _I'd be willing to take that bet," Danse muttered, narrowing his eyes at Cutler, who shot him an instantaneous death glare before smiling back at Alexa._

 _"Is she... always like that?" he asked carefully, gesturing toward where Sarah had just left. Alexa chuckled and shook her head._

 _"No doubt you've heard how intimidating Sarah Lyons can be - but she can also be very personable, if you get to know her. She just takes her position and the Brotherhood very seriously - hardly surprising considering her father's the Elder." She was quiet for a couple seconds, then gestured to the seats across from her at the table._

 _Cutler blinked, then grinned as he sat down across from her without further hesitation. Danse paused, causing Alexa to smile softly up at him._

 _"At ease, soldier," she joked, feeling a little intimidated by the serious brown eyes staring at her curiously. "That invitation extended to you as well."_

 _When he didn't immediately move, Cutler snatched a bit of fabric on Danse's thigh and gave it a sharp tug downwards. "SIT," he hissed at his friend quietly, then grinned at Alexa again._

 _Danse frowned at Cutler, but slowly sat in the chair in front of Alexa. She cleared her throat, which felt like it was tightening somewhat under his penetrating gaze. An awkward silence followed between the three soldiers for a moment before Danse decided to speak first._

 _"We'd heard that you and Sentinel Lyons were instrumental in procuring fresh water for the Capital Wasteland via Project Purity. Quite a remarkable undertaking. Many people - the Brotherhood and Wastelanders alike - owe you their lives."_

 _Cutler, who'd glanced over at Danse when he'd begun speaking, snorted and looked to Alexa. He jerked a thumb in Danse's direction._

 _"Don't mind the 'walking thesaurus' over here," he quipped (to which Danse narrowed his eyes at him again), "but he's right - what you guys did was... amazing. You're like the biggest heroes I've ever met."_

 _Alexa was torn between wincing at the term 'hero' and blushing a little at the praise. She inadvertently did a bit of both and shook her head. "I can't speak for Sarah, but... I'm not a hero," she murmured. "We were just doing our duty to the Brotherhood and the Capital Wasteland. Anyone with half a conscience or a sense of responsibility would've done the same thing." Attempting to get the topic of conversation away from herself, she quickly glanced from Cutler to Danse. "You guys didn't just meet, did you? You seem like you know each other pretty well."_

 _Both men shook their heads._

 _"We've known each other for at least a few years now," Cutler replied. "Worked together in Rivet City until the Brotherhood came around to recruit people." He turned his head to Danse and smiled, then reached up and ruffled his hair, ignoring Danse's grunt and attempt to swat him away. "What can I say? We're like an old married couple," he laughed._

 _"_ _Hardly," Danse grumbled. "I've lost count of how many times I've had to keep you out of trouble - or_ _get_ _you out of trouble."_

 _"You love me," Cutler teased. "You'd have no fun if it wasn't for me."_

 _"_ _I'd have no_ _stress_ _if it wasn't for you," Danse shot back._

 _Alexa giggled at their exchange, which seemed to please Cutler and at least placate Danse. "Who're you guys training under?" she asked._

 _"Paladin Ford," Cutler replied. Alexa gritted her teeth and drew in a breath quickly, causing him to laugh. "...That bad, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow._

 _"He's a good man, and an excellent soldier - just a bit stubborn and rough around the edges," she explained. "He's definitely tough on his recruits. I heard he made an Aspirant cry once - and that was just because he accidentally knocked over his dinner tray."_

 _Cutler grimaced. "He sounds like he'll be really strict-"_

 _"_ _He sounds like he'll be_ _perfect_ _for you," Danse interrupted, a smile growing on his face. Alexa had to admit - while he was already attractive, she found him_ _very_ _handsome when he smiled. She swallowed hard, not used to being swayed by a man - especially considering how many she already knew in the Brotherhood._

 _Cutler looked annoyed, and she had to smile at the childlike pout on his face. "I can be disciplined," he protested. "I can be_ _very_ _professional when I want to be."_

 _"Oh, like brazenly hitting on a woman that - since you know who I am - you're very aware is technically your superior?" she retorted coyly. "Because if you're so professional, then you'd already know that if I was so inclined, I could have you performing drills at 4am every single morning for a month." She crossed her arms over her chest for effect. "Does that sound disciplined enough for you - 'Dick' Cutler, was it?"_

 _A mischievous smile appeared on her face as the men's eyebrows shot upwards. Cutler's jaw dropped open in shock, and there was a period of silence. Finally, both Alexa and Cutler were surprised when a deep, rumbling laugh erupted from Danse's mouth. It gave Alexa a tiny thrill to know that she had caused 'Mr. Serious' to crack up - and it helped that he didn't look half-bad doing so, either._

 _After a few stunned seconds, Cutler recovered from his surprise and began to laugh as well._

 _"Ohhh, I like you," he grinned, wiggling his pointer finger at her. "I have a feeling we're gonna get along juuust fine."_

* * *

 **With a final exhale, Alexa flicked the cigarette butt over the deck's railing, watching it tumble away in the wind. She was so lost in thought, she didn't hear the sound of approaching bootsteps behind her.**

"Alexa..."

She jumped slightly and turned to see Danse standing a small distance behind her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Michael?" she asked. "What are you doing out here? You didn't go with Nora?"

He shook his head and stepped closer to her. "She just had a small research mission to run. Before she left, she suggested that my attention might be better spent... elsewhere today." He cleared his throat and looked somewhat sheepish.

Alexa smiled knowingly as she looked down at the ground, her face heating up a little. She might not have known Nora for very long, but... she knew her well enough to suspect her new friend might've had ulterior motives in mind for her and Michael. She chuckled softly and shook her head, then looked up at him.

"How... are you holding up?" he asked her gently.

She was silent for a few seconds, contemplating the question, then turned to look back out over the railing at the Commonwealth below.

"It's... almost strange... being aboard the Prydwen again," she said softly. Danse appeared at her side in her peripheral vision as she continued. "It brings back a lot of memories." She bit her bottom lip, fighting back sudden tears. She closed her eyes, silently cursing as one escaped and slowly ran down her cheek. "I... I miss them," she admitted, her voice nearly a whisper. "Sarah... and Richard. I wish... they were here with us."

She drew in a shaky breath and started getting lost in thought again, when she unexpectedly felt a strong pair of arms gently wrap around her waist. She opened her eyes and realized Danse had moved to hug her from behind. She reflexively stiffened, but relaxed after a few seconds and wrapped her arms tightly around his, reveling in the feeling of having him so close.

"They... they would have been proud of us, I think," he replied quietly, his voice strained. "Of what we're working towards here in the Commonwealth."

Another tear ran down her cheek. She sniffled softly and turned to face him, her heart clenching at the sadness she saw in his expression. He slowly raised a hand to her face, his fingertips outstretched towards her cheek, then hesitated. She didn't break eye contact, finding herself getting lost in his brown eyes... those eyes that had captivated her all those years ago as well. After another second's pause, he tenderly brushed his thumb against her cheek, wiping away her tears.

Her eyes closed at the physical contact, and a small sigh escaped her lips. When she opened them again, her heart skipped a beat at the intense way he was staring down at her. She took a deep breath and raised her own hands to cup his cheeks, her stomach doing a small flip at the way his eyes also briefly slid closed at her contact. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing from the action.

"Alexa..." he murmured.

The sound of vertibird rotors started approaching the Prydwen, but both soldiers barely noticed. As Alexa studied Danse's face, she noticed a few small scars that hadn't caught her attention the last few times she had seen him. She made a mental note to ask him about them later, curious about just how much she had missed out on during her absence from the Brotherhood. She realized he was still staring at her and blushed, heat rising to her cheeks.

A period of silence followed. She watched his eyes dip down toward her lips and then meet hers again. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was starting to tilt towards her. She swallowed nervously but leaned forward as well, slowly closing the distance between them.

Their lips were fractions of an inch apart when a shout stopped them both in their tracks.

"DANSE!"

Danse blinked, shaken from his trance. He reflexively turned back towards the shout, which had come from the newly docked vertibird.

' _Ohhhh... someone's gonna_ _die_ _for that...'_ Alexa thought, a flash of annoyance racing through her at their interruption.

A female scribe had exited the vertibird and was waving an arm frantically at Danse, signaling him to come over. Alexa's frustration quickly evaporated when she saw the scribe's panicked face and sensed that something was very wrong. Sure enough, a couple medical scribes came rushing out of the door to the main deck and raced toward the vertibird. Danse's eyebrows rose with recognition.

"...Haylen?" he wondered aloud. He turned to Alexa, his expression both concerned and apologetic. "One of my former subordinates," he explained. She nodded and followed behind him as he hurried over to the vertibird.

"Haylen, what-" His eyes widened when the medical scribes lifted an unconscious male soldier out of the vertibird behind Haylen, rushing him back towards the main deck. "Knight Womack?" he asked, then turned to the female scribe - Haylen, he had called her. "What happened to him?" he demanded, authority ringing in his tone.

Haylen wrung her hands, not looking much better herself. "We were both on a mission with Nora-"

"Nora?" Danse and Alexa asked in unison. They both leaned forward to peer into the vertibird, which was now empty - other than the pilot (who was finishing the vertibird's docking procedures), one damaged but intact set of power armor, and one pile of miscellaneous beat-up armor pieces on the floor of the vertibird. Both of their gazes snapped back towards Haylen almost violently.

"Where is she, Haylen?" Danse barked, his hands finding the scribe's shoulders and inadvertently squeezing her a bit too hard. " _Where's Nora?_ "

Haylen winced and took a deep breath, then hurried past them - motioning for Danse and Alexa to follow her. "Come on," she replied, heading for the main deck door. "I'll tell you all about it along the way."

* * *

...Five months? It's been FIVE FREAKIN' MONTHS since I last updated this fic? ...OmG, I can't even tell you guys how very sorry I am! Seriously, I feel terrible, I really do. Motherhood, work, and life have made my free time very limited, and I (somewhat) recently started a new 'Far Cry 5' fanfic (which I am very excited about), so getting THAT going has used up a bit of my free time, too. I truly had no idea it's been that long, so much has been happening in my personal life.

I HAVE already started writing the NEXT chapter for this fic, and I swear I will TRY not to keep you guys waiting so long for it. Gah, I'm still in shock. Time really gets away from you when you're busy!

Anyway, exciting things are happening in this fic (as you can see), and I hope you guys will enjoy the things to come. I know this was a 'shorter' chapter (compared to my usual), but hopefully the story will make up for it.

As a side note, I noticed/remembered something when discussing this fic w/ my beta:  
So if one is going STRICTLY with the FO3/FO4 lore - FO3 and its DLCs take place (roughly) 10 years before FO4.  
Apparently, when the battle at Adams Air Force Base happens ('Broken Steel' DLC), Danse is supposed to be a Paladin and leader of his own squad (acc. to the FO wiki). By that logic, if Danse was ALREADY a Paladin with his own team around 10 YEARS AGO, and assuming it took TIME for him to BECOME a Paladin (not rising through ranks as quickly as Arthur did), you'd think SOMEone in the BoS would be like, 'Hmm... you know... that guy has looked almost EXACTLY the same age for like... the last 15 years... that's kinda odd.' ...I know it DOES happen to people sometimes (in that they barely seem to age in over 10 years - just look at some celebrities, like Anne Hathaway), but even SO...

I mention this because in THIS fic, the flashback scene in which Alexa first meets Cutler and Danse happens AFTER the 'Broken Steel' events have happened - and obviously Danse and Cutler are Initiates in my fic at this point, not Paladins (or Danse, anyway).

Like any fanfic, my story will break canon at times (it'd be hard to write a fanfic that didn't, really), and I ask you... 'leniency' with the story when this happens. In the 'grand scheme of things' with my fic, it's not that important to the story (in that much bigger things are/will be going on that affect the story's direction), so please don't think I'm doing this to be 'lazy' or anything. There is a method to my madness, and hopefully you will enjoy it (and if not... well, I can't please EVERYone, lol).

Thank you SO much to those who have stuck with me thus far with patience, I hope you will continue to read my fic, and I hope you will continue to enjoy it! 3

PS: Over TWO YEARS since I first started writing this fic! I only just realized that tonight, too! TWO FREAKING YEARS! HOLY GOD! I wouldn't have lasted this long without my fans, thank you guys SO much! 3 3 3


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